Tag: botanical garden

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MAURITIUS ORIENTEERING

2023 ACTIVITY REPORT AND 2024 GREAT NEWS (read until the end!)

One year after the very first international competition, 3 Days Mauritius Orienteering, held in cooperation with Park World Tour and with the support of IOF and the Orienteering Ministry of Sport, many things happened in this beautiful country.

The local organisers held several activities to spread orienteering:
In May, for the World Orienteering Day, 4 different activities took place:

On 10th May, a training on Orienteering was organized for CAIE PE students at Q. Militaire SSS. Cluster of 4 Girls schools with over 50 participants

A race in Palmar Public beach on 13th May 2023

Activities were organised at MIE – Mauritius Institute of Education on 18th May 2023

On 19th May 2023 a Training on Orienteering for CAIE PE students of Zone 2 cluster is organised by PE Section for Boys n Girls (G10 n G11) at SIG SSS, Q. Militaire. 70 students in attendance. 21 Girls n 49 boys.

Mauritius orienteerign news

The biggest success so far occurred on 1st June during an Orienteering activity in Palmar beach: over 160 participants were on the starting list!

Local organisers worked very hard during this year to test and develop the orienteering skills of people of Mauritius but also the skills to organise orienteering events at different levels.

The interest of this sport is increasing and therefore the local Federation is planning to enlarge the orienteering family of the country by organizing another webinar starting in the month of January 2024, wishing that many more new people and energies will gather to get help.

The big goal is set for the end of 2024, and get ready for it… 3 Days Orienteering Mauritius will be back!
From 21st to 24th November 2024, with a brand new competition area on the south of the island mapped by the locals!

3 events, of which 2 will return to the spectacular areas of Pamplemousses Botanical Garden for a very interesting sprint race and to Domain de Lagrave for a challenging middle race!

So… book your flights, let’s het ready for a new orienteering adventure!

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The field day

11/10 was a field day, which started with a visit to Land and Housing – Cartography dept., looking for basic map of the interesting areas for orienteering maps.

After that, Jaroslav Kacmarcik – IOF GDC and Giulia Zenere – PWT Academy, together with Mr John Domah, Mr Vishal Luchmun, Mr  Khaiysaar Ahmad Soopun and Mrs Hima Seeboruth of the Mauritius Orienteering Federation, visited the offices of the Ministry of Education.

Dr Reetoo Neeshti Director Health &Wellness, Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology and Liu Yuk Pat-Agathe Mary-Joyce, Ag. Senior PE Organiser, Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology agreed on the idea of introducing orienteering in the schools, and proposed to standardize its teaching system, following what Mr John Domah already started in his zone.

Third from right Dr. Neeshti, second from right Mrs Mary-Joyce

The third essential meeting of the day was scheduled with Mr. Hon Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint, Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Recreation.

Mr Toussaint fully approved the idea of implementing orienteering sport in Mauritius, both at a school level but also at a community level; supporting the goal to create community clubs as recreational activity all around the country and for all ages, pointing that it is a sport that also suits to families.

The Minister sustained the projects of Orienteering M for Mauritians and also for tourists, and embrace the plan of an international event next year.  

Second from left Mrs Munien, second from right Mr Touissant

A meeting was also held with Mrs Vyrum Pillay Munien, Officer at The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, a project by the Ministry of Youth which has a component like adventurous journey. The Officer was interested in enriching the Award with Orienteering to develop skills such as map reading and compass work, necessary to achieve the Silver Award which requires 42km walk in 2 nights and 3 days.

A final meeting in the Sport Ministry offices was with Mr Nagalingum Pillay Samoo, Director of Sport, who welcomed the delegation and assured to be ready for the proposed projects.

The delegation then continued to Moulin de la Poudre Forest to check the existing map to be implemented. The area looks interesting, flat, with clear forest.

Being in the north of the Island, a visit to Pamplemousses Botanical Garden was to be done. It is a popular tourist attraction in Pamplemousses, near Port Louis, and the oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere.  It is populated with more than 650 varieties of plants among which are the famous Baobabs, the Palmier Bouteille, the ineluctable Giant Water Lilies, dozens of medicinal plants, a large spice garden and many more.

The venue is suitable for a sprint race and for some leisure time among its beauty.

The very long day ended with a meeting with Orienteering M in the evening, to discuss the short and medium term projects, the way to constitute officially the local Federation so to apply as temporary member of IOF, to implement orienteering both in schools and at a community level, and to support the organisation of an international 3-days event in november 2022. Are you ready?