The selection process for this year's Elite Tour has been completed and a tough battle awaits the athletes in the six elite classes. A large number of national team runners from several nations will participate, including many medallists from the recent WOC and JWOC international championships.

The senior classes during this year's elite tour offer a top-class starting field, where many successful athletes from the recently concluded World Championships in Finland are among the participants. Among the favourites in D21 Elite we find the Swedish national team runners Tove Alexandersson, Sanna Fasth and Hanna Lundberg who won all three medals at the World championships middle distance and form the winning team at the WOC Relay, as well as the Swiss national team runner Simona Aebersold who became world champion in the long distance. Other favourites in the D21 Elite are national team runners Sara Hagström, Venla Harju, Marie Olaussen, Ida Haapala and Alexandra Hornik, all of whom placed in the top 10 over one of the distances at the World Championships. In the H21 Elite, the main favourite is Norwegian national team runner Kasper Harlem Fosser, who with three medals, including two gold, became the king of the World Championships and confirmed his place as the world's best male orienteer in this moment. Other strong contenders are reigning O-Ringen champion Emil Svensk, aswell as Gustav Bergman, Max Peter Bejmer, Viktor Svensk and Jannis Bonek, all of whom placed among the top 10 in one of the distances at the World Championships.

The four Junior Elite classes also have very strong athletes in the start lists. Among the entries are Lucie Dittrichova (D20 Elite), Jonas Fenne Ingierd (H20 Elite), Seline Sannwald (D20 Elite), Freja Hjerne (D20 Elite), Ludvig Rosén (H20 Elite), Wilmer Selin (H20 Elite), Hannes Mogensen (H20 Elite) and Henriette Radzikowski (D20 Elite), who all won gold in one of the distances at this year's Junior World Championships in Italy. In addition to these names, there are several other medallists and podium finishers from the Junior World Championships among the participants in the junior elite classes.

The list of qualifiers pdf, 416.1 kB., displaying the runners who gets a spot in the six elite classes has now been published. Runners who have been selected for the elite class, but who cannot come to the start, must give a notice of withdrawal no later than Saturday 20 July at 20.00. There is also a reserve-list showing the order of admission to reserve spots, if spots get freed up in the elite classes. The runners on the list of reserves must also send a request to be moved up to an elite class to show an interest in recieving admission to a potential reserve spot. This notice must be sent no later than Saturday 20 July at 20.00. A withdrawal or request of a reserve spot, must be notified to the organisers via mail at elit@oringen.se. The runners who have requested a withdrawal from an elite class will be relegated to a non-elite class and be drawn into starting groups with their respective clubs.

All in all, there are good conditions for thrilling and tough battles for the positions in all classes within the elite tour during this year's O-Ringen!