Discussion: Mexico orienteering?

Anyone know what the deal w/ Mexico orienteering is? I fly there on occasion and doesn't strike me as a place lacking in potentially great orienteering venues. A lot of cool topography. Several South and Central American countries seem to be active in orienteering... but no Mexico. Just curious if anyone knows what's up?

I seem to recall Ted de St Croix made a map I think somewhere near Guadalajara many years ago. I mean MANY years ago.

Isn't there an issue with impassable walls in Mexico?

Sergio Martinez (Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club) has organized some events in Mexico.

The issue with impassable walls is in the USA, not Mexico.

It's actually Sergio Fernandez not Sergio Martinez. You can get in touch with Sergio through the GVOC website, if you find his name and click on it there's an option to email.

Oops, my mistake (apologies to Sergio).

> Central American countries seem to be active in orienteering...

Most popular orienteering exercise there is taking bearing and heading north

The map on the IOF website shows that Guatemala and Costa Rica had WOD activity, but no Central American country is a member of the IOF. In the Caribbean, Cuba, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic are members; Haiti had WOD activity.

By the way, I was trying to find contact information for the Regional Co-ordinators of North and South America, to promote the 2020 NAOC. The new IOF website does not have that info.

And Mexico isn't even an IOF member... still scratching my head "why?"

Maybe because there are no orienteers there. Canadians putting on meets in Mexico doesn't mean the Mexicans even know about it.

True JJC but if a Norwegian working in Montreal and an Estonian emigrant to Canada hadn't coincidentally put on orienteering meets in Canada perhaps the sport would be even more unknown in Canada to this day.
That same Norwegian worked some magic in the US, too.
Seems orienteering depends a lot on 'Johnny Appleseeds' to spread the sport.

Oh, I'm not saying it isn't a good thing. But maybe it just hasn't gotten any traction yet.

If you’re keen on orienteering in Latin America, the plan for next year’s SAOC based in Iguaçu Falls is for one race each in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

Correct. Could be interesting; my account of crossing the border in the part of the world is here.

I seem to recall that Mexico was at least a provisional member of IOF in the days when IOF had provisional members, although that doesn't necessarily mean there was much orienteering going on there (quite a few provisional members didn't seem to involve much beyond a post office box).

Wow, SAOC sounds awesome next year!

Would anyone like to take over a partially completed orienteering map of the National University of Mexico campus?

I would offer but it's a bit out of my territory.

I'm guessing that comment is meant a bit tOngue in cheek but there is fun in remote mapping. You can take a bit of territory anywhere in the world and using online resources see how far you can get making an orienteering map of that territory.
The White House? the Kremlin? Forbidden City? Buckingham Palace? Vatican City? Go for it. I once played with orienteering maps in Ulan Bator. You want a complex mountain bike area? Wow! They have it. Instead of forest they have yurts and houses between the trails.