Peter Oehy is going to build up four finish arenas within five days

Spectacular Races due to the closeness of the spectators

As an engineer, Peter Oehy from Winterthur plans and realizes solid sewers and roads. Together with his team the 38-year old is going to build up four finish arenas for the finals of the OL WM 2003 within just five days - and will tear them down overnight.

If you as a spectator, with cow bells and banners, are going to the finish area of the long-distance race at the Eschenberg on August 6, 2003, or to the one of the relay at the edge of the Chlosterwald on August 9, you might encounter a tired Peter Oehy: "It won't be possible to completely uninstall the party tent of the restaurant, the stands or the toilets overnight and to instantly rebuild everything somewhere else for the next race day. Due to the timetable of the whole WOC, the combination with the Swiss O Week and the distances of the chosen competition areas, the larger infrastructure-related constructions need to be ready in multiple editions." Combinatorics and endurance will be key for the head of the WOC arenas...

However, neither the competitors nor the spectators are going to suffer from logistical headaches and financial boundaries. "On the contrary: My goal is to make sure that the races will be fair and that there will be some thrilling entertainment," says Peter Oehy. "The participants of the WOC shall encounter the fewest possible restrictions imposed by the constructions around the finish. They also shall get the required convenience. At the same time, however, the spectators, the media and the coaches shall be the closest possible where the race action is."

Several passages through the finish
The strategy concerning the spectators, which was developed for the last WOC in Finland, will be consistently developed further by the organizing committee of the OL WM 2003 in Switzerland. With the exception of the sprint race, which will be held in the old town of Rapperswil in the midst of the spectators anyway, the three remaining WOC finals are going to sport one or even several passages through the arenas during the race. "By means of result tables and big screen we will try to allow for the best possible insight into the actual standings." Besides the mentioned big infrastructure-related constructions there will be a daily need for some three to four kilometers of partly heavy-duty material to bound. Where does Peter Oehy get the motivation and the knowledge for this demanding task? - "Because of orienteering I had innumerable nice experiences as a competitor. With my involvement I would like to return something." His teamwork within the organizing committee of the OL WM 2003 is only the summit of the rich orienteering experience of the man from Winterthur. Based on the statements from his mother, little Peter did always know it better already at the tender age of ten when it came to map reading. He stopped his excursions in the family class in 1974 and entered the first regional and national meets on his own. "Because of my dad's work as a meet director for diverse national meets or as the head of equipment for the 5-Days in 1975 I received first insights into the organization of big events." For several years since 1983 he has been a member of the board of the orienteering association Winterthur. In this function he started to be a regular as course setter, as the head of start and finish, or as mapper.

Solve problems with discussions
Besides the orienteering-related aspects there is also professional knowledge contributing to the work in the organizing committee. Peter Oehy, a civil engineer with an HTL degree, works as the divisional head underground and surface-level construction in a larger engineering company. "The many contacts to governmental bodies and companies will carry synergies to the organization of the WOC. Moreover, I am going to try to solve all the approaching problems around the logistics on the construction site in consensus with all the people involved."

The running practice of the technically experienced senior runner will probably suffer from the increasing workload within the organizing committee over the next couple of years. It is quite realistic that Peter Oehy and his wife Rosmarie are going to increasingly enter the "she and he" class, like these days when he met his partner at orienteering.

Text: Lukas Jenzer

Posted: 2003-05-01 22:25:50