Orienteering Tasmania counts itself among the luckiest of the sport's organisations in being able to resume state league competition.
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Opening the Tasmanian season with two events in March, the State League resumed with two events at Coles Bay and Royal George in late July and August.
Its premier event, the Tasmanian championships, the traditional culmination of the statewide competition, is being held in Launceston this weekend.
The Esk Valley Club, host of the event for 110 competitors from the North-West Coast, Launceston and Hobart clubs, engaged Victorian veteran mapper Alex Tarr. He completed a remap and extension to the Russell Plains property at Rocherlea in November 2019 from a previous revision in 2013, with cooperation from landowner the Launceston City Council.
A unique sporting hazard and warning to competitors is to respect the presence of lambing sheep and avoid spooking ewes and offspring.
However, the Tasmanian championships is arguably not the major orienteering event for 2020. Tasmania was to host the multi-event national carnival, including the Tasmanian championship, Australian middle distance and schools championships, with nine national events over 11 days on the East Coast.
This event is now scheduled for September-October 2021.
In its place Tasmania will host its own state competition at St Helens, "The Carnival That Never Was", bringing more than 100 Tasmanians to the alternative carnival over two weekends, with a three-day mid-week training camp and a three-hour mini rogaine to the region.
Four events from September 27 to October 4 will include the Tasmanian middle distance championships and two state league events to replace those missed during the year and bring Tasmanian orienteers to the region over the nine days.