ARDF has been practiced, historically, as Orienteering with the addition of radio direction-finding receivers, and transmitters placed at the control points. It is natural and proper then that we should look to Orienteering for guidance on the appropriate application of GPS in our sport.
The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) is the international governing body of the sport of orienteering. Founded in 1961, the IOF governs four orienteering disciplines: foot orienteering, mountain bike orienteering, ski orienteering, and trail orienteering. The IOF was recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1977.
The IOF defines Orienteering as “a sport in which the competitors navigate independently through the terrain. Competitors must visit a number of control points marked on the ground in the shortest possible time aided only by map and compass”.
Beginning in January 2017 new Orienteering rules came into effect allowing GPS devices to be worn with the condition that they will be of no help during the competition: “GPS-enabled devices (watches etc.) can be carried provided that they have no map display and are not used for navigation purposes.”
IOF’s orienteering rules are in stark contrast to the IARU Region I ARDF rules which leave out the final seven words: “…and are not used for navigation purposes.” Clearly, ARDF as defined by IARU’s Region I ARDF Working Group has diverged significantly from IOF’s definition of an Orienteering sport.
There are no formal agreements in place between the IARU and the IOF, and nothing prevents the IARU (or its regional ARDF working groups) from redefining the sport. But there has been considerable collaboration at the community level over the years between Orienteers and the ARDF community. Almost every USA and Region II sanctioned ARDF championships competition has had an OUSA-affiliated orienteering club (OUSA, formerly USOF, is a USA partner organization of the IOF) providing maps, insurance, volunteers and other support to the effort. Several OUSA-affiliated orienteering clubs have members active in ARDF, many of whom support the sport by organizing practices, and participating in competitions. Without the resources and support of the Orienteering community as organized and promoted under IOF, it would be very difficult for ARDF to exist in the USA.
IARU Region I’s ARDF rules changes, permitting broad use of satellite systems for navigation in competition, has taken ARDF down a path that diverges sharply from Orienteering. Given ARDF’s dependence on the orienteering community, that divergence will only hinder progress towards ARDF’s recognition and acceptance worldwide.
The addition of navigation-by-$20B+ satellite system to a map-and-compass sport is literally a game changer. There is no avoiding that fact. If the sport of ARDF continues down the trail toward becoming a satellite navigation sport, it will lose all semblance of an orienteering sport. Along with that it will lose its support among the orienteering community, and perhaps its future as a sport.