The annual Orienteering Australia Conference was held over the weekend of 30 November and 1 December at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

Highlights included:

• A new High Performance and Athlete Development Pathway Strategic Plan, including new squad structures and plans for foot and MTBO training camps.
• Nick Dent launched Sprint Canberra, 5 sprint races from 23-27 January in conjunction with the first ever national sprint orienteering training camp. Google ‘Eventor Sprint Canberra’ for more information and like ‘Sprint Canberra’ on Facebook
• Exciting new developments by Paul Dowling in WA in use of Eventor presented by Craig Feuerherdt and a national agreement on paying for Eventor in 2014
• Agreement to Eventor becoming the principal national results database from 2014 and to upload historical results from the OA website database into Eventor
• Agreement to establishing an Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame in 2014
• Brain storming of ideas to include in a participation development plan during the next 10 years
• The announcement by Paul Prudhoe that Australia’s newest orienteering club was formed in Coff’s Harbour on Saturday 30 November after a lot of work by Orienteering NSW in creating a set of maps and running a comprehensive local media campaign followed by 6 initial events. This replicated a similar strategy to create the Northern Rivers Orienteering Club based at Lismore and Ballina
• A very informative risk management and legal issues presentation by NSW Technical Director Andrew Lumsden
• A presentation by Andrew Ramsay of the Australian Sports Commission on the work of the Commission in the areas of increasing participation and sustainability, including improvements in governance that Orienteering Australia is taking on board

Conference photos: http://hardingjohn.smugmug.com/Sports/Orienteering/2013-OA-Conference-AIS/
http://hardingjohn.smugmug.com/Sports/Orienteering/2013-OA-Conference/