Control point (orienteering)

It is located in the competition area; marked both on an orienteering map and in the terrain, and described on a control description sheet.

The location of control points is kept secret from the competitors until the start of the competition when they receive the map.

[7] Some competitors wear the extra control description sheet in a holder strapped onto their forearm, so that they can read it while running.

Each competitor is required to carry a control card, and to present it at the Start and hand it in at the Finish.

Several marking schemes are in use, including a pre-printed multiple choice form, and a "secret word" posted at the control point that the competitor must copy down.

At each control point, and at the Start and Finish too, the orienteer inserts the card into a battery-operated station.

The SPORTIdent control card is a small plastic stick ("e-card" or "e-punch', also "dibber" and "fingerstick").

At the finish, data on the card are copied to a computer and a receipt is printed to confirm or deny that the course has been completed correctly.

This is received at a base station, often located at the Finish, where the orienteer's progress on the course can be monitored and displayed to spectators.

iOrienteering works but using the runners smart phone camera to record control points as they are passed.