The ski orienteering finals have concluded: what’s next?

Ski orienteering combines direction-finding with cross-country skiing over rugged terrain, creating a endurance winter sport that tests both physical and mental strength.

A successful competitor not only needs exceptional endurance and power but also must possess outstanding skiing skills and the ability to navigate and choose optimal routes at high speed. As a sport, it is demanding, yet it remains safe, exciting, and enjoyable for participants.

After making its debut in 2019 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, ski orienteering returned to the FISU World University Games at Torino 2025. On Tuesday, 21 January, the second and final event, the mixed sprint relay, was held with Finland 1’s Amanda Yli-Futka and Niklas Ekstroem winning gold (45:10), Sweden 1’s Anna Aasa and Jonatan Stahl earning silver (45:19), and the Switzerland 1 duo of Delia Giezendanner and Elias Corsin Boos taking bronze (45:28).

ToTag collection

“I will put them in a very special place,” said the 20-year-old Yli-Futka, referring to the two ToTag mascots she earned during the Games. The University of Eastern Finland student-athlete had already won gold in the women’s sprint final on January 19.

Controlling their heartbeats to better focus on their maps

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“For me, the long distance is the best,” said Ekstroem, a multi-discipline athlete competing in both cross-country skiing and ski orienteering. Despite his preference for long-distance events, the University of Turku student delivered a flawless performance in Tuesday’s competition. “I think it was a very, very challenging course, but super fun,” he remarked.

The Finnish duo was excited about the mixed event, mastering the map and their teamwork to overcome all potential challenges.

“Good weather, good courses, and good skiing”

Ski orienteering demands incredible physical and mental stamina, and finishing a race is exhausting yet rewarding — especially when it results in a medal. “We’re super happy and super tired,” exclaimed jointly silver medallists Anna Aasa and Jonatan Stahl as they spoke to reporters. Their fatigue was overshadowed by their joy. “Good weather, good courses, and good skiing,” they added.

The weather at Pragelato on race day was a stark contrast to the previous days of heavy snow and gloomy skies. The conditions were surprisingly clear and warm, with wide tracks and a favorable course layout. No wonder the Swedish duo couldn’t contain its excitement. “More wide tracks than we are used to in Sweden. Back home, the tracks are almost always narrow,” noted the 22-year-old Aasa.

Her 23-year-old partner summed up their experience with a heartfelt statement， “Pleasantly surprised. It was really fun to ski today!”

The possible future for ski orienteering

“Lonely,” said Kenichiro Terashima from Japan when describing the awkward situation faced by Asian countries in the ski orienteering discipline.

Among the 21 teams competing in the mixed sprint relay final, only two were from Asia – Japan and Kazakhstan. Low international participation, limited broadcasting possibilities, remote competition venues, and long event durations are some of the factors that hinder the sport’s global promotion and its inclusion in the Winter Olympics.

“Ski orienteering is one of the most difficult sports to broadcast,” said Giacomo Steiner, the TV director for Pragelato’s snow events. “But we have facilities like GPS tracking and a lot of support from the sports teams to make it work. Orienteering is an exciting sport full of surprises. You can feel the connection to nature through the shots. I hope it will soon become an Olympic sport,” Steiner added.

The difficulty of capturing ski orienteering on television has posed significant barriers to its growth worldwide.

“I think this is a very tough situation,” commented Kazakhstan’s head coach, Yuriy Mikhailov (left). But I still believe ski orienteering has a chance to enter the Olympics.”

Despite these challenges, optimism remains

In fact, the sport came close to the Olympic stage in 1998, when the Sanada Town Sugadaira Highlands International Ski Orienteering Tournament was held at the Nagano Winter Olympics venue shortly before the Games began. Since then, the International Orienteering Federation has seized opportunities such as the Asian Winter Games and the CISM Winter Military World Games to promote the sport step by step.

The road ahead might be long and difficult. Yet, just as the weather at Pragelato eventually cleared, the future of ski orienteering may hold brighter days. It will be a compulsory sport at the next FISU winter Games in 2027.

The take place from 13-23 January. Watch all the competitions live on . Click on the link to find the full schedule.

Written by Boyi Yang, FISU Young Reporter, China

The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sportsc ompetitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.

We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.