Once again this year, the PWT Italia team took part in the best-known international event in the orienteering world, the O-Ringen (Sweden’s five-day multi-stage race), this edition held in Göteborg from 19 to 25 July. We set off from Italy with 2 PWT vans, and after a few rest stops in the German and Danish countryside, we arrived in Göteborg full of energy and eager to race and train. In total, 12 registered members took part — coordinated by team manager Gabriele Viale — including support staff, coaches, technicians, and 7 athletes who competed in the races.
The O-Ringen is a truly unique event, founded in 1965. The 2026 edition drew an average of 21,000 participants per stage, making it a sort of multi-stage world championship — a bit like what the Tour de France is to cycling.
The Swedish forests gave everyone a hard time, and not just our athletes. 5 races in 6 days put our orienteering skills to the test. Even just getting used to the Nordic terrain — frequent marshes, soft undergrowth, great visibility but subtle landforms — takes real effort. But that’s exactly what makes it so much fun. The experience in Sweden was also excellent preparation ahead of the Italian championships in September, a key event for our team.
For us, it was essentially a full training camp, with daily technical meetings coordinated by our coach Svetlana Mironova. For a couple of athletes, Fabio Amadesi and Lukas Patscheider, training continued for an additional week, under the guidance of Sebastian Inderst, who coordinated the on-site training sessions. See you in Stockholm for the 2027 edition!