Our city has the strength of nine centuries behind it. We are the birthplace of the Latvian national flag and we are a proud city. Proud but welcoming. And we are delighted to welcome the world’s best orienteers as well as the participants of the OPEN race.

We have made sure that the WCUP2017 participants see the best our region has to offer – the courses planned through the most picturesque locations in Latvia. Thus making sure that not only will the event be memorable, but also unique and breathtakingly beautiful.

Cēsis has a long tradition of orienteering sport, with many of the best Latvian orienteers calling our city home, and this is the second time we have the honour of hosting an event of this calibre. I am sure you will appreciate the effort we have put into organising Orienteering World Cup 2017, and I am sure you will return here again to enjoy the nature around steep slopes and ravines of the ancient Gauja river valley and the rich atmosphere of the Cēsis old town.

Enjoy Cēsis, enjoy the competition and best of luck to all of you!