Discussion: Border violations

https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/british_oriente...

:)

I should add that this isn't "the" British orienteering team, it was "a" British orienteering team.

Probably not the best place to go for a cheeky forest pint.

I saw this on Instagram. Very cheeky visit.

better detained by the Fins than by Putin's men...

The worse crime is the 'several cans of beer' they consumed in 'maybe 15 minutes' and were then going to be driving again!

worse crime is the 'several cans of beer' they consumed in 'maybe 15 minutes' and were then going to be driving again

Indeed.

Sounds like a cool thing to do---BUT, Otto Warmbier probably didn't think his prank was very serious either.

Knowing the guys, I'm sure it was several beers consumed by the group, not each.

So they weren't Russian beers?

In the guardian today too!

That doesn't even come close to the Canada - US border caper pulled off by a Swedish tour leader and several orienteers from eastern Europe back in the 1980s in the days before the Cold War had completely thawed.

Knowing the guys, it was definitely several cans each ;)

Knowing the driver quite well i can confirm that he passed a breathalyser test. Thankfully he's not quite that stupid ;-)

OK Gord. I bite. What happened?

I think Bubo should tell what happened. I suspect he was there.

I can't think of any border crossings that I've been involved in fitting that description. The only tour that comes to mind was the one in 1984 from NY to LA, but I can't remember any eastern Europeans.

Okay. The year was actually 1990. There was a World Cup Orienteering event in Alberta, Canada. The next week there was a similar event in Washington State USA.
As I heard the story Swedish tour leader PeO Bengtson had arranged participation for several promising young orienteers from Baltic countries just then slipping out of Soviet influence but not yet considered friendly by the US government. There may have been Russian and Ukrainian orienteers on the trip, too.
Again as I heard it they had no problem getting visas to enter Canada but the US would be a long, difficult process. So the athletes came to and competed in Alberta after which they were driven to near the Alberta / US border, given a topo map and told they would be picked up at a marked spot on the US side of the border. All went well. The competition in Cle Elum took place with the guests again doing well and the story ends with US security none the worse for the experience.
I hope there are others who can correct the story or add details if necessary.

I can think of at least two other similar episodes at 1990s World Cup series in eastern Europe.

That's bordering on insubordination.

I would prefer to be shot by Fins right on the spot, which is an easy death, than to get to the hands of Putin's henchmen.

Hope there aren't any British orienteers with Latvian beers close to this event then :)
http://2017.kapa.lv/index.php?lang=en (Read "important notice")

They didn't see the olive green ?

I hope they were drinking Karjala beer to state to get "Karelia back, even bottle by bottle". Karelia area use to be part of the Finland some time ago...

And Finland was part of Russia 100 years ago.

And yes we are celebrating that