Everyone was talking about it. And just before the World Cup, we finally pulled it off.
There’s now a special fan jersey made by the Czech brand O-RUN — designed for Czech fans, but honestly, it looks good on anyone.
The fan jersey is the result of a collaboration between the Gradual studio, the Czech Orienteering Federation and O-RUN. “The strongest thing about the whole design and production process is that this is the official jersey of Czech orienteering — and it’s done in the Czech national colours,” says David Procházka of O-RUN. Getting there wasn’t simple: work started back in January and the final version only came together at the end of June. “I’d recommend everyone take a close look at it. That’s the only way you’ll spot how original the details are,” admits David, who was involved in the selection process from day one.
The idea was to create the piece of clothing Czech fans had been missing. Swedish and Swiss supporters have always made themselves seen as well as heard — the T-shirts, jerseys and hoodies in the finish arena and out on the courses speak for themselves. And with the temperatures forecast, the jersey is a perfect match for a Šumava summer. “Hopefully we’ve managed to follow up on the excellent current national team kit with something original that brings the whole Czech orienteering community even closer together,” Procházka hopes.
The fan jersey in the Czech national colours is available in the e-shop, at the O-RUN sports stand and at the Czech Orienteering Shop for 850 CZK (roughly €35) throughout the World Cup — or until it sells out. It’s a limited edition, available in almost every size, kids included.
Cheering for Sweden, Switzerland, Norway or anyone else? Fair play, we’d expect nothing less. But when you head home, why not take a proper Czech souvenir with you — one you can actually run in. Support the Czech team for a race or two, and let the jersey do the rest.
Fantasy Orienteering with Strat-O!
Join the Official Fantasy Game for Orienteering World Cup Round 3 with Strat-O!
Follow Orienteering World Cup Round 3 like never before with Strat-O, the official fantasy partner for this World Cup round.
Before each race, build your fantasy team by selecting six athletes while staying within a limited star budget. Every selection matters: will you back the favorites or uncover the next surprise performer?
As the real races take place, your team earns points based on the athletes’ results. You can also answer bonus questions for extra points and climb the event and season leaderboards alongside fans from around the world.
Different race formats require different strategies, from individual races to relays, making every event a new challenge.
Creating an account and joining the game is completely free. Simply sign up, build your team before the deadline, and see if you have what it takes to become the ultimate fantasy manager.
All the info regarding you arrival, arena entry, parking, transportation, side programme, spectators races, and other important aspects of your visit to World Cup Czechia 2026 has been updated.
Only a few days are left until this year’s most significant orienteering event to be held in the Czech Republic: the Orienteering World Cup. We hope there will be many supporters cheering for the world’s top O-runners. In addition to competing in the accompanying Czech O-Tour Event, you can also use your free time to explore the surrounding area—and why not with a new application developed by Czech orienteers known as “Venku.app”.
What is Venku.app?
Venku.app is a modern app inspired by the Swedish project Hittaut. It combines outdoor activity with a game-based approach to develop map-reading and navigation skills. It’s a great way to spend more time outdoors, make your family walks more interesting, discover new corners of the country, or even see familiar places in a new light. All you have to do is download the app to your phone, find the nearest location, and you’re ready to set out in search of checkpoints. You can start right in the area around the OWC arena, where a temporary location will be set up during the World Cup. It’s the perfect opportunity to get acquainted with the app.
Two New Locations in the vicinity of OWC
Should you wish to explore the app a little bit more, there are two more locations available close to OWC venue. Furthermore, both are situated in attractive spots – so why not combine a small trip with a Venku.app game?
Vyšší Brod Town Centre
A completely new location that you can explore on your way to or back from the arena. Vyšší Brod is often the starting point where kayakers set out to sail the Vltava River, hikers begin their trails, and history lovers head straight to the Cistercian monastery. Discover the beauty of Vyšší Brod with Venku.app and explore places you might not otherwise visit. There are 14 locations of all difficulty levels in the town centre and its surroundings.
Lipno nad Vltavou Surroundings
Lipno nad Vltavou – popular destination for day trips and all-seasons vacations – is just a few kilometers from the arena. The area around Lipno nad Vltavou has something for everyone. The new Venku.app location is situated right at the summit of Kramolín, where the famous Treetop Walk is located. Come explore the area around this popular place with Venku.app! A beautiful mountain forest awaits you, and there’s no shortage of views of the surrounding countryside. A total of 19 checkpoints are available here.
More Locations Throughout the Country
Should you stay in our country for a bit longer, you are warmly welcome to visit other Venku.app locations. They are spread all across the Czech Republic. Just open the map of locations in your app or on the Venku.app website and choose from more than 30 places throughout the country where you can play.
Czech sprint finish at the World Champs
The World Orienteering Championships wrapped up on July 11 in Genoa, Italy, this time in the sprint disciplines. After a year, the orienteering elite is saying goodbye to twisting alleyways and full-contact knock-out sprints and everybody is heading back into the forest. The first major stop on the world orienteering calendar will be the third round of the World Cup, held in Czechia, in Vyšší Brod.
The Czech team would be among the favorites on home soil no matter what. But the World Championships showed that the Czechs are in exceptional form.
Just remember the bronze medal in the individual sprint won by Lucie Dittrichová, who ended a fourteen-year Czech wait for a World Championships medal. On top of that, Tereza Rauturier finished fourth in the same race and Jakub Glonek eighth.
The highlight of the championships came in the knock-out sprint. Tereza Rauturier turned her spot in the final into a world title. She paced herself perfectly in the highly physical race, and in a pack that stayed together all the way to the finish, she showed that nobody does the final corner and the finishing kick better than her.
The closing sprint relays brought the Czechs sixth place and a spot on the big podium. This solidified the most successful World Championships appearance in many years.
In Vyšší Brod, spectators can look forward to the full Czech team. The exact lineup isn’t known yet, but the participation of the World Championships medalists and other stars is practically a sure thing. The team will also be reinforced by several national team members who focus mainly on forest racing, giving it an extra push toward top results.
Orienteering is now heading into a “year in the forest” – a year that will culminate in the 2027 Forest World Championships in Hungary, and one during which the World Cup will visit the Czech Republic twice: in 2027, racing will take place around Česká Třebová.
Come see with your own eyes how the Czechs kick off this new chapter.
We deeply appreciate this support. It shows that orienteering is regarded as a prestigious showcase of sporting life in our country and as a significant society-wide phenomenon, combining a healthy lifestyle, community, togetherness, and national representation.
We are looking forward to welcoming you in Vyšší Brod. Come see for yourself!
Sneak peek: Race area photos
Are you racing in the World Cup races against the stars or are you racing in the GAPP Czech O-Tour races against your friends? Whichever it is, we are sure you are eager to see what it looks like in the race area itself! We took a sneak peek behind the curtains of the embargo and we are bringing pictures.
You can look forward to beautiful forests with boulder fields, rock formations, and quick streams. Are the marshes more of your thing? No worries, we have them, too. All that combined with remnants of long abandoned villages and settlements, sacred monuments, and a few oddities make for an extremely varied orienteering event.
Just take a closer look and do not forget to register for the Czech O-Tour if you have not done so yet.
The full set is available in a public gallery to provide a level playing field.
