Our sport is all about fair play and sadly I heard of several people disregarding the rules on impassable features recently at the Craigavon WEE. I hope that this is due to some novices / newcomers not really understanding the rules rather than regulars flagrantly disobeying them, but either way it would seem that a little more education is needed.
Urban / sprint orienteering is different from normal orienteering in that it takes place in an area where property boundaries fenced / or unfenced and public or private flower beds need to be respected by competitors. They are OUT OF BOUNDS!! These areas are shown on the map as ‘olive green’. Anyone found entering any of these areas will be disqualified, if not eaten by the local canines.
Likewise with regard to impassable walls, fences, and hedges. The symbol does not mean that the feature is 2m high and hard to climb over. The symbol is used to show a feature that SHOULD NOT BE CROSSED either for safety or because you are taking an illegal route. These features are shown clearly on the map as a thick black or green line so they can’t be missed, and as above if anyone is found crossing these, other than likely ending up at A&E, you will be disqualified.
Equally with closed gates: If these are shown on the map as closed irrespective of whether they are open on the day and you think it is a valid route / shortcut, you will be disqualified.
If anyone is still unclear on this please ask.