British Sprint Championships 2026

The British Sprint Championships 2026 will take place at the University of West England (Frenchay Campus) on Sunday 28 June 2026. 

Essential information

1. Park in the UWE Car Parks as directed. You do not need to pay for parking. It is included in your entry.

2. Follow the signed route to the arena – the rest of the campus is OOB.

3. If coming by bus or train please come through the West Entrance or if on U1 bus get off before the bus station.

4. Collect your bib from Assembly before you run: NO BIB, NO RUN

5. Both Starts are close to the arena

Travel

Please see the separate 'getting to the event' page.

Entries

Entries are now open on Pre-entries, at www.pre-entries.co.uk. Entries will close at 11:59pm on 7^th June 2026. After that, late entries will be available subject to the availability of maps, bibs etc and subject to the late entry surcharge.

Permitted changes in details such as a change in SI card must be registered at enquiries before you run.

Non-championship courses (yellow and orange standard) will be available for entry on the day at £10 for each entry. This is subject to availability of maps. Entry gives a run in both morning and afternoon races. We will have a card reader, no cash please.

The shadowing of any competitor on a Championship course is not permitted. If you are the

‘shadower’ of a person on a non-championship course then you must have completed both your own races before undertaking any shadowing.

Eligibility

Only members of British Orienteering who are British citizens are eligible for Championship prizes. (for the full competition and eligibility rules, see section 2.1 of Competition rule C, available to view on the British Orienteering website). Eligibility is shown in the SIEntries entry list - any competitor who thinks they are incorrectly identified should inform the organiser ASAP.

Timetable for the day

Assembly

The Assembly Area is about 600m from the car parks

Do not leave the car park anywhere else and do not stray from the marked route as you will be entering OOB competition areas and be liable to disqualification. The permitted route to the arena will be signposted with arrows and red/white tape.

The Assembly is around the two Students Union Buildings. There will be seating both indoors and outdoors where clubs can gather.

Enquiries, bib collection, and hired dibber collection will be within the building Students Union 2. Enquiries will be open from 9am. The Finish Arena will be close by. There will be space along the Finish run-in for spectators and Club tents. The Assembly Area will be bounded by red tape to demarcate the edges of the Competition Area.

On the ground, the edges of the competition area will be closed off by barriers and/or red/white tape. In order that residents of the campus can move freely, there will be gaps in the barriers which nevertheless YOU MUST NOT CROSS. The barriers will carry notices stating Out of Bounds or No Entry for Orienteers.

Facilities

Toilets are available in Students Union House on the lower level near the bar.

Enquires, Bib collection and hired e-card collection are on upper level of the Students Union.

First Aid will be located in the Students Union.

CompassPoint will be outside; between the Student Union buildings.

Refreshments

A bar will be open in the Students Union lower level near Download, serving a range of bar food and drinks.

In the second Students Union building there is a shop selling a wide range of food and drinks.

Shelter

In the event of adverse weather (e.g. heavy rain or oppressive sunshine), indoor shelter will be on the two levels of the Students Union.

Dogs

Please note that there is no suitable space on the campus for dogs to relieve themselves. Dogs must be kept on leads and under control at all times and are strictly not allowed indoors or in the competition terrain at any time. Dogs should not be brought to the arena area. Dog owners are required to clean up after their dog and are responsible for disposal of their waste. Start times cannot be adjusted to allow for supervision of a dog.

First Aid

Third party First Response cover will be provided. The nearest A&E hospital is Southmead Hospital, Southmead Rd, Bristol, BS10 5NB. This is 3 miles or about 15 minutes by road and car from the UWE campus. Copies of the route will be available at Enquiries.

Bibs

All competitors must wear their individually numbered race bibs when competing. We will be

operating a strict “No bib – no run” policy. Bibs will be arrayed in alphabetical name order for

collection near Enquiries in the Students Union. We will have some safety pins available but it helps if you bring your own. Please fill out the reverse side with any medical conditions you wish to declare.

M/W 18, 20 & Open competitors who qualify for the A Final will be issued a separate final race bib which must be collected from enquiries as soon as the final start lists are published. These will be in reverse numerical order (lowest starting last).

Other competitors must wear the same bib for the qualification and finals races.

Car Key Drop

A car key drop will be located at Enquiries. Please use the trays labelled according to surname (A-E etc.)

Non-competition courses

Please note you can only pick up your course map after you have started, even on the Yellow and Orange courses. If entering non-competition courses on the day, you will be given a start time for both races when you register (You can choose the time from the start slots available). You will receive a bib on which will be written your course and start time for both the morning and afternoon races. Please go to the starts to arrive in time for your start slot, taking into account the call up time, just as for competition courses.

Club Banners & Tents

Unfortunately although the Finish Arena is grass we have been told there are power cables criss-crossing the area that are unmapped. Please do not use pegs or stakes in the ground.

Therefore any club flags or banners will need to be attached to nearby railings. If you use cable ties please can you make sure you fully remove them when you go. There is space for club tents, but they must be self standing and will have to be weighed down.

Event Format

The championship event comprises two races – a morning Qualification race followed by the Finals in the afternoon. The starts for the morning Qualifiers and the afternoon Finals will in different locations, but both will be less than a 5 minute walk from the arena. There will be a 5 minute call up in each case.

Qualification Races:

Start times for the qualification race will be available on this website after Entries close.

• Start times will run from 10.30 to 12.00 in age class blocks.
• Age classes M/W18 & over have seeded start times based on the 2026 BOF ranking list when start times were allocated. Higher-ranked competitors will start later in each start block.
• M/W Open classes only have been be split into three parallel heats (a, b and c).
• Junior classes M/W16 & under have randomly allocated start times within a start block. Start times for seeded juniors have been spread through the start block in accordance with rule A3.9.1 of the rules of orienteering.

Those requesting parental split starts have been allocated out of block start times with one parent running in an early out of block period at the beginning of the starts, and the other a late start approximately one hour later. These out of block allocations do not affect the competitiveness of the individual in the qualifier. The same applies to helpers given out of block start times.

Finals races:

Start times for the afternoon finals (and results of the qualifier races) will be published in the Students Union Building on an overhead projector. This will be downstairs next to Download and the Bar. printouts.

Out of block start times will be allocated to parents who have requested split starts, in the same pattern as in the qualifiers. Please be aware that for eligible A finalists to be competitive for a medal, and class champion, they must run at (or by exception before) their allocated in-block start time. Those given late out of block starts in the Finals will therefore not be eligible for a podium place.

An announcement will be made on the commentary PA and a Whatsapp community message will be sent when the finals start times and qualifier results are available.

Details of how to reach the Finals start will be made available after the qualification races have finished, at or prior to the publishing of the finals start times.

We aim to begin the finals starts from 14.00 with the last runners starting around 15:30

A and B Finals

Your result in the morning Qualification race will determine if you are in the A or B Final in the afternoon as specified in the competition rule.

Aside from ties, and considerations of eligibility, the division into A and B finals is as follows:

M/W Open classes: the top third will be in the A Final and the remainder in the B Final.

All other Classes – classes with 7 or more entrants are divided in two with the top half (or top 6 whichever is the larger) in the A Final and the rest in the B Final. If there are less than 7 entrants, they will have just a single (A) Final. However, entrants who fail to successfully complete their Qualification race or finish after the cut off time will be ineligible for a medal.

Within each Finals start block, the faster runners in the Qualification race will start later.

Taking eligibility into account, the rules will be interpreted as illustrated by the following example:

A class with 13 entrants (one of whom is ineligible) will result in 7 places (for eligible runners) in the A Final with the rest into the B Final. A non-eligible runner finishing inside the top 7 places would be granted a place in the A Final (running first) and this does not take up an eligible A Final place. A second ineligible runner finishing 8th would NOT qualify for the A Final (because they are outside the original top 7 spots). An eligible runner finishing 9th (behind 2 ineligible runners) may then take the available A final place.

Qualification race cut-off time

In order to avoid delays in publishing the Finals start times, anyone finishing later than the course closing time in the Qualification races will be assigned to the B final.

Start time blocks for the finals are as in the chart in these details. Individual start times for the finals are determined on the day, according to the results of the qualification races.

In the finals, runners who have qualified for the A final but who have been assigned an out of block start earlier than their age class start block remain competitive. However, if we need to assign a start time later than the starter’s age class block in the finals, the run will be competitive for ranking points but will not be eligible for a podium place (championship medal).

Starts

Warm up

Space around the starts will be very limited. A warm up area 100m from Assembly back on the route to the car park will be provided. It will be marked by signs.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF ANY NOTICES IN THE START LANES, PARTICULARLY FOR THE FINALS STARTS.

No maps will be displayed in the start grid.

Start procedure

It is a timed start for all competitors and your responsibility to be at the pre-start at your call up

time. Please do all that you can to arrive at the pre-start location in sufficient time to clear your SI Card and be present (& alert) to enter the pre-start system at the correct time (5 minutes before your start time).

SIAC Battery Test boxes (optional) and SI Clear boxes (mandatory, unmarshalled) will be located in the area before the pre-start entry.

A Quiet Start will be in operation, so no unnecessary chatter in the pre-start lanes please, but of course it is permitted to ask for assistance.

The majority of signage will be floor-mounted– please keep an eye out for it. This will direct you to the correct lanes as you progress through the pre-start system. All signage will reference the Course number without the Q or F prefix. Note that your Course number in the Finals may be different to that in the Qualifiers. You are responsible for ensuring you pick up the correct map (& control descriptions).

No blank maps will be displayed unless significant changes that competitors need to be made aware of have occurred after the printing of the maps.

Entry to the pre-start will be at 5 minutes before your start time. Times will not be called out, but bib numbers will be checked off as you enter. Please ensure your bib is clearly visible to the official.

The clock at the pre-start will show the start time with this 5-minute offset applied – i.e. it will be 5 minutes fast from the real time. Additional clocks may be present in the start lanes. As with the pre-start clock, they will show the start time in relation to that position through the pre-start.

Time before start Process

Late Starters

Should you arrive at the entrance to the pre-start after your call up time, make yourself known to the officials there who will escort you through the process below. You are reminded that this is a quiet start and officials will endeavour to move you through the process as swiftly and calmly as possible, without distraction to other competitors. No discussion will be entered into about the reasons for your late arrival.

• If your start time has not passed or is not imminent, you will be taken to the correct T- box to continue your journey through the pre-start (with control descriptions handed to you if appropriate).
• If your start time is imminent (such that attempting to position you in the correct location at the map boards would distract other competitors), you will be started from the late start lane at your allocated time, with control descriptions and map handed to you.
• If your start time has passed, but you arrive at the late start start line (guided by an official) within 30 seconds of your start time, you will punch a start box and start immediately.

Control descriptions and map will have been handed to you.

If 30 seconds or more has passed since your start time, you will be started from the late start lane at the next available minute or half-minute. Control descriptions and map will be handed to you, and you will punch a start box when instructed.

As per British Orienteering rules, any late starter will be timed as though they had started at their correct time. If the participant believes that they were late to the start through a fault of the organisation of the event, then this should be raised at Enquiries after you have downloaded.

Start Blocks

Please note the blocks are based on 800 entries in the same numbers for each age group as previous Championships. They may need to be tweaked once entries are in.

Punching

The event will support SIAC contactless punching. All course controls will be in beacon mode as well as the Finish controls. The start will be a timed start. It is the competitor’s responsibility to ensure that their SI card has registered at each control and the finish.

A limited number of SIACs will be available at enquiries for hire on the day at £3.00. Lost SIACs will be charged at full replacement value. Two SIAC battery test units will be placed at the entry to the pre-start area adjacent to the starts. A further battery check unit will be on hand at Enquiries. A fast beep means the battery is low but should last the day.

No beep means the SIAC is not operating in non-contact mode and you would need to contact-punch each control and the finish. If you wish, you can hire a replacement SIAC from Enquiries.

All controls will have a backup pin punch. In the unlikely occurrence of an SI box failure use this to punch your map. There are 3 reserve punch boxes along the bottom edge of the map.

Control format

All controls will use a SI box on a cane either in the ground or supported by a free-standing block. The kite and backup punch will be hung from the cane. A small number of controls are tethered by wires to a nearby fixed structure but these have the same format.

A model control of this format will be used for the SIAC battery test units at the pre-start.

In all cases access to the SI box will be clear for anyone not using SIAC and the control code will be clearly visible on the SI box.

Map Reclaim

All maps will be collected after download and - because morning and afternoon competition areas overlap – maps will only be available for reclaim after the Finals Starts have closed.  There will be a PA announcement when maps are ready to be collected.

Live Results

The projector in the Students Union will display live results of the competition.

Trophies and Medals

The trophy and medal ceremony will follow as soon as possible after the results are finalised.

There will be a trophy awarded to both the winning man and woman in the Open A Final.

There will be medals awarded to the first, second and third-placed competitors in each age class A Final.

Steps in the area outside the Students Union will be used as a podium for medal presentations.

Would existing trophy holders please ensure the trophy is brought to the event and handed in at Enquiries on arrival, or else passed on to the organiser in advance.

Mapping and Terrain

The map has been newly produced for this event by Chris Johnson (BOK). More details to follow.

Map Legend

Competition maps will include a partial legend showing special symbols mentioned below (TBC), and OOB symbols.

Maps will not be displayed in the start lanes.

Terrain and Course Notes

Courses have been planned so that the fastest times on each course will be in the range 12-15 minutes.

The UWE campus combines density of buildings, unusual architecture and walkways with to make a technically challenging area that is ideal for the sprint orienteering format. Running surfaces are predominantly concrete. Be aware that paved surfaces may be slippery if wet. The area is relatively flat but involves different levels linked by steps and stairs. All courses encounter at least some steps.

Published course lengths are on an optimum route corrected for climb. Optimum route distances are from manually analysis of courses using the course setting software, cross-checked by GPS traces of test runs.

We expect vehicle movements in the competition area to be minimal. Nevertheless competitors need to be aware of moving vehicles anywhere on the campus. Within the competition area there are roads used by service/security vehicles and coaches. Most senior courses will cross these roads. Junior courses have been planned to comply with BOF rules concerning proximity to traffic.

Complaints and Protests

British Orienteering rules apply. Any complaint should be made in writing to the Organiser on a complaint/protest form available from Enquiries. This should be handed in at Enquiries as soon as possible, and by the qualifier course closing time latest for complaints relating to the qualifiers and by the finals course closing time at the latest for complaints relating to the finals (these deadlines will move corresponding to any delay in the starts).

The Organiser will provide a decision on the outcome of the complaint and inform the complainant as soon as possible. If the complainant is not satisfied with the result, a protest can be made against the Organiser’s decision no later than 15 minutes after the decision has been passed to the complainant. A protest must be made in writing on the form available at Enquiries and handed in at Enquiries. The protest will be handed to the Controller who will discuss with the Organiser. If necessary, the Controller will convene the Jury, who will communicate their decision to the complainant as soon as possible.

Safety and Risk Assessment

A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. If you have a medical condition that you want responders to be aware of please fill out the reverse side of your bib with your name, emergency contact number and any medical information you want to declare.

An emergency contact phone number is printed on the map.

First aid and details of the nearest A&E hospital will be available at Enquiries.

Photography

Photographers: If you wish to take photographs of orienteers during the competition you must contact the Organiser in advance.

Drones must not be used.

Privacy & Personal Data

When entering this event your personal details (name, age, gender, club) will appear in the results section on the website. It may also be used to trace missing runners and hired SIAC cards.

Officials

Planners: Paul Gebbett (BOK) and Richard Cronin (BOK)

Organiser: Richard Hudson (BOK) secretary@bristolorienteering.org.uk 07917171033

Controller: Simon Errington (HH)

Weekend Co-ordinator: Mike Forrest (BOK)

Jurors: To be advised

Acknowledgements

The organising team would like to thank the following:

• University of West of England for permission to use the campus for this event, and to Rose Kingsley-Jones and the team at UWE for their support in preparing for the event.
• The team at British Orienteering supporting the event, providing the event website and helping with publicity
• YHOA for the loan of the A-frames to hold the course maps at the starts
• Plus the many others who are actively helping in the preparations from BOK, SWOA and BOF.