As governor of Dalarna I welcome you all to the EOC2012 in Dalarna. You are coming to a region with a very long and proud history. This applies particularly to sport. Sweden’s first official sport competition was arranged in Falun, the capital of Dalarna, already year 1792! Since then, the people in Dalarna have been gladly devoted to do sports and competitions. Not at least, orienteering and skiing have been popular. Vasaloppet the longest cross country skiing race in the world, passing Hökberg, one of the competition places in EOC2012.

But Dalarna is also a county with its own culture, where folk music and art are well established. The business community is diverse, where forest and steel industry, together with the manufacturing sector accounts for a significant proportion of Sweden’s exports. Entrepreneurship creates growth. Many see Dalarna as a Sweden in miniature. Dalarna often symbolize the image of the whole of Sweden and is visited by many tourists who want to experience the beautiful scenery.

In particular it seems as orienteers have settled down well in Dalarna. The terrain is exciting with a diverse mixture of forest, mires, mountains and valleys. The sport is popular and appreciated and there are a lot of orienteering clubs in Dalarna. Opportunities for training are very good and at Dalarna University there is a wide range of qualified education in a variety of areas. I therefore hope that your visit in Dalarna during the EOC 2012 will not be the last. You are welcome back – both for temporary visits or more permanent stays! Find more about the county of Dalarna at www.dalarnas.se

//Maria Norrfalk, governor of Dalarna

 

Falun

Falun has been a well-known sports and event city for many years. Now we are also pleased to be the first city in Sweden, to welcome the European Championships in orienteering and all the participants to our city. Falun has a wide range of cultural activities and business opportunities, broad educational opportunities, a vibrant downtown and not least a well-developed lifestyle in sports and training. All this and more makes Falun an attractive place to live, study and work in. See you in Falun and at the competitions!

//Jonny Gahnshag, Mayor of Falun

 

Mora

To be taking part in and hosting the EOC in 2012 is really exciting for me. Orienteering is a sport that fits in perfectly within Mora’s profile as an active city within its natural surroundings and the environment. The event which is partly carried out in the area of the world famous Classic “Vasaloppet cross country race”, is guaranteed to be a memorable challenge for both participants and organisers. Great fun!

//Bengt-Åke Rehn, Mayor of Mora

 

Orsa

It´s with great pleasure that I welcome you all to Orsa and Skattungbyn for our part in EOC 2012. I promise you all that we are going to do the best to give you a great experience. Orsa is well-known as a tourist-region and that´s for a reason. As a competitor you will find out that reason for yourself. Our fantastic environment with a terrain as made for orienteers is our greatest resource!

//Marie Olsson, Mayor of Orsa