The JOK Chasing Sprint 2019

Orienteering Live on BBC TV

For the first time in UK TV history, orienteering was broadcast live on Friday June 28 as the JOK Chasing Sprint was shown on TV and online, via the new BBC Scotland TV channel. Here’s our run-down of the event.

Report & Results

About the JOK Chasing Sprint

The JOK Chasing Sprint was first staged in 1995 and its ‘Flying Pig’ trophies show an illustrious list of previous winners including several former World Champions. The name comes from “Jesus Orienteering Klubb”, created by Oxford university alumni, whose emblem was a flying pig.

Taking place in the afternoon and evening at Callendar Park, Falkirk, you can watch the climax of the event live between 7pm-9pm as part of “The Adventure Show”.

5 Reasons to enjoy the JOK Chasing Sprint 2019:

1. Live TV coverage

The Adventure Show broadcast the JOK Chasing Sprint live on BBC Scotland between 7pm and 9pm. BBC Scotland can be watched on all TV platforms across Scotland and on BBC iPlayer across the UK, so wherever you are and whatever device you have, you could watch live and on demand.

2. One of the most distinctive trophies in British Orienteering

The unique "Flying Pig" trophies of the JOK Chasing Sprint
The unique “Flying Pig” trophies of the JOK Chasing Sprint

The Sprint offers the unique “Flying Pig” trophies for the winners, giving winners a unique mantelpiece talking point!

3. An exciting, two-race format

The JOK Chasing Sprint is a two-race format which starts with the Prologue, a traditional time trial format. Then it’s the Chase, with start times determined by performances in the Prologue, and the first across the line in each class wins.

4. Great orienteering terrain and a newly-mapped course

Callendar Park, Falkirk, is contoured parkland with many interesting features including a loch, Callendar House and part of the Antonine Wall – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – as well as being crossed by the John Muir Way. Rising above it to the south is Callendar Wood, varied woodland with a good network of paths and trails.

The competition used parkland, woodland and the local urban estate, with the nature of the terrain meaning the technical difficulty of the courses was TD3/TD4 level.

The event used a brand new map, surveyed in early 2019 by Chris Smithard.

5. Easy to access venue

Callendar Park is a nationally important landscape, and it’s just a few minutes from the M9 motorway. It’s also close to both Falkirk High and Falkirk Grahamston railway stations, and easily accessible from Edinburgh Airport, making it ideal to get to on a Friday afternoon.

Other information:

Start times

Start times for the Prologue were from 4pm with start lists for the Chase finalised by 6pm.

All races in the Chase started from 6:45pm-8:30pm, with all winners decided by 9pm when TV coverage finished.

Competition Classes

Classes for both Men and Women:

  • Juniors 18- (i.e. born in 2001 or earlier).
  • Open
  • Veteran 40+
  • Super Veteran 55+
  • Ultra Veteran 65+

The permanent M/W16- Chasing Sprint trophies went to the top 16- finisher on each Junior course.

British Orienteering Ranking Points

Awarded for the Prologue. Chasing start races are ineligible for ranking status.

Where you can watch online

Where you can find more details