The actual term "orienteering" was first used in 1886 and meant the crossing of unknown land with the aid of a map and a compass.

The relay, composed of teams of 3, is a mass start event where different runners are separated by means of forking.

The sprint relay is run by teams of 4, where the first and the last must be women, in urban areas with mass start and forking.

Knock-Out sprint (KO-Sprint) is the newest form urban orienteering to be added to international competition.

Similar to the sprint relay, it is high paced and television friendly, with the elimination rounds happening quickly one after another.