Navigation is the quintessential skill for orienteering, an adventure sport where one has to navigate through rough country with the aid of a map and compass alone.

Local and international athletes from Mediterranean countries will put their navigation skills to the test as they join the four-day International Orienteering Championship set to take place in Turkey's southern Antalya province.

Organized by the Turkish Orienteering Federation, the championship is scheduled to be held on four main spots, namely, Lara, Kurşunlu Waterfall, Ekşili Pond and the Kaleiçi quarter. The second leg of the championship will attract around 2,000 sportsmen.

Turkish Orienteering Federation Chairwoman Hacer Akyüz said local people and tourists were welcome to watch the championship.

Eight orienteering athletes, Yaşar İsmet Demiröz, Özgür Fettah, Emine Sezgünsay, Büşra Muslu, Emirhan Külahsız, Talha Günday, Ayşe Bozkurt and Elif Gökçe Avcı will represent Turkey in the championship.

In orienteering, the goal is to complete a course in point-to-point order. Starts are staggered and the athlete successfully completing the course in the least amount of time is considered the winner.

A typical orienteering event offers five, six or seven different courses of varying difficulty. Athletes are provided with a detailed map accurately showing everything including streams, trails, hills and rocks.