These Rules are intended to promote fair sportsmanship and consistency across all events and for all participants and other attendees. These Rules apply to the Scouts and adult sections unless otherwise stated. Queries, comments and suggestions with regard to these rules can be sent to the event organisers prior to the event. The organisers reserve the right to amend these rules at any time.
These are version 3.0 of the Rules, updated on 2016/07/28. Download them here.
1. General Rules
- All attendees are to remember and uphold the ideals of the Scout Laws and good, honest sportsmanship.
- The decision of the organisers is final and absolute.
- Any behaviour deemed to be disruptive, harmful, disrespectful or amounting to cheating will result in a score penalty to the team or disqualification. This includes the behaviour of any non-uniformed attendees accompanying a group.
- The organisers acknowledge that the judges ability to monitor all participants is finite. Representatives of all groups are invited to join the event team for the day.
- At the judges discretion, leniency in the rules may be granted to junior teams who are clearly struggling, in order for the youth to enjoy the programme. This will only be done if the judges deem that the this will not affect the fairness of the competition or the final standings of the event.
- The organisers reserve the right to amend these rules and the program at any time.
2. Venue
- Each venue may prescribe their own set of rules for participants and these should be noted in the event correspondence, participants briefing and team leaders briefings. Failure to comply may result in disqualification and possibly action by the host.
- Participants are to observe road safety rules and are to cross major roads at pedestrian crossings or with the assistance of a marshal only. At all times, participants are to give way to the public and are to travel in single file when following roads and pathways used by others.
- Teams are not to touch, climb over, press on or otherwise damage the property of a venue. This includes fences, closed gates, farming equipment, signage and walls.
- Teams will never have to climb a ladder or tree, crawl through a tight space, enter water or cross a fence. If you can’t walk up to a point, then it is not a point.
- Teams are to remain conscious of the type of terrain they are crossing and are asked to remain on designated paths wherever possible, especially in sensitive locations such as nature reserves, golf courses and productive agricultural fields.
- Unless otherwise states, points are not located indoors.
3. Format
3.1. ‘Scout-style’ Orienteering
- In Scout-style, control points are not indicated on the map, but are instead provided as a series of bearings and distances from a denoted base-line. Plotting of the control points onto the map will be done by the orienteers during the competition.
- Data about the location of the control points will be in the form of a real world distance and a compass or true bearing.
- The provided map will be either an aerial photograph or topographic map with indicated base-line for plotting, north direction, graphical scale, numerical scale and competition boundaries.
3.2. Score Orienteering aka, Score-O
- In a Score-O event, there will be no set course. Information on the position of all control points will be provided, each with a score value. Teams can decide their own routes and prioritise which control points to look for.
4. Competition Rules
4.1. Timing
- Under no circumstances will teams be granted extra time.
- ‘Reporting-in’ time will only be recorded once the full team have lined up, come to alert and the PL reported in with a correct salute and stating his team number/name.
4.2. Teams Documents
- If a team has damaged their marker sheet or provided map or aerial photograph and needs a replacement, they must return the originals and will only receive a replacement if spares are available and the organisers deem their original as unusable. Replacements are not guaranteed.
- Teams must present their whole aerial photo or map at the end – it may not be cut up or torn up.
4.3. Uniform
- Participants are to arrive and leave in full uniform, unless otherwise stated.
- Group scarves must be worn at all times.
4.4. Banned Items/Strategies
- Teams found using the following items or strategies during the competition will be immediately disqualified:
- Use of two-way radios or cellphones during the competition.
- Splitting up of the team.
- Sharing results or point locations with other teams.
- Assisting or receiving assistance from another team with regard to the plotting of or interpretation of the points on the map (struggling junior teams may be assisted at the judges discretion after a reasonable amount of time has elapsed).
- Removing, moving or damaging the markers without the organizers permission.
- Collaborating with other participants or non-participants.
- Taking shortcuts through out-of-bounds areas or trespassing on private property not part of the competition limits.
- Sabotaging a team by damaging their documentation.
- Scouting out the competition area prior to the event or using knowledge from a person who has done so on a team’s behalf with the intention of gaining an unfair advantage.
- Following another team to ‘steal’ their points.
- Hiding your team number from a marshal when requested to present it.
- Using bicycles, motor cars or other transport. Only your own feet.
- Cutting or tearing the map into sections.
- Using parents/Scouters/friends to explore the competition area during the event.