Spectator races – experience it all on Czech O-Tour
The Orienteering World Cup would be nothing without the electrifying atmosphere created by fans from all over the world. Cheering for your favourite athletes is fun but why stay at the sidelines? Join the spectacle and race yourself in the spectator races on Czech O-Tour.
Everything has been prepared so you can enjoy the World Cup races to the fullest and experience first class Czech terrains yourself. The forests around the Martínkov arena provide a complex mix of various terrain types, prominent and subtle features, and present a perfectly balanced level of runnability and physical difficulty. A spectator race is taking place on each racing day, starting with a sprint prolog on the day of the qualifications in the UNESCO listed town of Český Krumnlov. In the following days, forest races are prepared for spectators, all organised from the same arena as the World Cup. That means less logistics and more racing and fun.
Significant overlap of the World Cup terrains and the Czech O-Tour terrains guarantees a fully immersive experience for everyone. All this combined with other attractions and activities available in the region of South Bohemia, near the majestic Lipno reservoir.
The full experience is ready – prepare for your Czech summer of 2026.
We have also prepared several accommodation options to suit every budget and taste.
Accommodation on beds in rooms within the monastery complex in Vyšší Brod
Accommodation in a campsite in Vyšší Brod
Accommodation in Korzo apartments – Lipno nad Vltavou (reservations only until the end of February!)
One arena to host all 4 competitions of Orienteering World Cup in Czechia
The Orienteering World Cup in Czechia will take place on August 5–9 in Vyšší Brod. And with the new year comes the time to reveal where the competition arena will be located, which has been kept secret until now.
Previous world events held in Czechia were characterized by the fact that they took place in multiple locations, with races held in different terrains and the competition center located in different arenas. But this year, there will be a change – for the 2026 World Cup, a concept was devised whereby all races would take place in a single arena. However, the courses will definitely not suffer as a result, as revealed by the Sport Director Radim Hošek: “The arena is surrounded by forests that gives enough space to conduct four races in various types of terrain.”
One arena means a number of advantages for both competitors and organizers, as Matěj Burda explains on behalf of the organizers: “I see a big advantage in the fact that everything we build in the arena will remain there until the last race. We won’t have to tear anything down, transport it, and rebuild it. Thanks to this, we will be able to offer all participants greater comfort and introduce new features that they might not otherwise experience during the races.”
The arena for all the 2026 World Cup and GAPP Czech O-Tour races will be located on a meadow near the former village of Martínkov, which is just 3 km south of the center of Vyšší Brod. This convenient location not only offers an excellent space for spreading the races across the wider area, but also a great opportunity for spectators to cycle to the arena directly from Vyšší Brod.
One year to go! The World Cup is coming back to the Czechia
Exactly one year from now, on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, the third round of the Orienteering World Cup will begin in Vyšší Brod. Today, the first bulletin for the event was released and some new features were presented.
The entire World Cup will be designed as a purely forest event. The first race will be a new feature of the 2025 season – the qualification round, which will start on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. The long distance will be on the program the very next day. After a day off, the competitors will face a middle distance, and on Sunday, August 9, the relays will conclude the event. The race center is located in Vyšší Brod, but participants will also stay in Lipno, where the organizers have arranged comfortable accommodation in apartments.
Spectators will also get to enjoy the event. The GAPP Czech O-Tour series will take place over four days, with participants getting to explore the terrain where the world’s best orienteers have competed. The entire event is organized by the Czech Orienteering Federation together with South Bohemian clubs, and the course builders are already known – Radek Teringl and Jan Flašar (qualification), Martin Poklop and Radek Teringl (long distance), Radim Hošek and Lenka Voštová (middle distance), Matyáš Štregl and Filip Hulec (relay).
Until now, we have revealed the Czech O-Tour locations for the next year after the end of the season, but this year we will make a small exception. The Orienteering World Cup returns to the Czechia in 2026 and the Czech O-Tour can’t miss it! On August 6-9, 2026 you will be able to run in the terrains where the best orienteers of the world fought a day earlier. And where? In the southernmost part of the Czech Republic around Vyšší Brod, with the nearby Lipno water reservoir or the UNESCO Český Krumlov. There will be 4 forest races and we have a big goal – let’s organize the biggest race in the Czech Republic with 2000 orienteers.
Entries will open in ORIS in November/December 2025
