From May 22, an exclusive exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Estonian Orienteering Federation is open at the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum, showcasing both orienteering clothing and equipment.
The joint exhibition will take you on a journey through the decades, where you can see orienteering maps from 1926, compasses and checkpoint markers from the 1960s, checkpoint composters from the 1970s, and Nokia running shoes from the 1980s. These items are contrasted by a modern electronic marking system (SI stick), modern competition clothing, and special NVii competition and training shoes from the 2020s.
“Orientation has a special and dignified place in the history of Estonian sports, and we are pleased to share this with the Estonian Orienteering Federation at the Sports Museum. Anyone interested in sports history, a friend of orienteering, or a beginner in this field will find something here,” says Kaarel Antons, the chief treasurer of the Sports Museum.
According to Maret Vaher, CEO of the Estonian Orienteering Federation, orienteering has undergone great development in Estonia and around the world over the past 100 years, highlighting, for example, the transition from black-and-white maps to GPS tracking. “We are pleased that the Sports Museum will help preserve the history of orienteering for all of us. A small but meaningful part of the collection of orienteering-related items will be available for those interested to explore in Tartu in May and June. We believe that everyone will find items and orienteering maps that evoke happy memories in the exhibition, and maybe they will also have an idea of what to offer as a donation from their storage to the museum to preserve the history of sports,” adds Vaher.
The new exhibition can be viewed free of charge in the general area of the largest sports museum in the Baltics (Rüütli 15, Tartu) during the museum’s opening hours for the next month and a half. In addition to the showcase in question, you can also visit the sports and environmental exhibition “Kuumenev finišijoon. Sport muutuvas keskkonnas / Heating Finish Line. Sport in a Changing Environment”, the sports museum’s permanent exhibition “Eesti Spordi Lugu / The Story of Estonian Sports” and other temporary exhibitions.
The Estonian Orienteering Federation, which is celebrating its birthday, is also holding a national orienteering week to mark the important anniversary, which will last until May 24.
Additional information: Kaarel Antons, Chief Treasurer, Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum, +372 5698 3922 | kaarel.antons@spordimuuseum.ee www.spordimuuseum.ee