In Turkey, orienteering has been carried out as a sport under the control of the armed forces since the 1970’s. In 1996, orienteering groups were established in Ankara and İstanbul and orienteering events became popular among civilians too. In Turkey the formal organization of orienteering as a sport started in 2001 and 2002. In 2002, an Orienteering Vice Presidency within the General Directorate for Youth and Sports was established. In 2004, the Vice Presidency was moved under the Scouting Federation. In 2006, it was decided to establish an independent Orienteering Federation. The Orienteering Vice Presidency was separated from the Scouting Federation on 28 March 2006, and the Turkish Orienteering Federation was established on 19 July 2006 and held its first general assembly in March 2007. The Turkish Orienteering Federation became a full member of IOF in 2004. It now continues its activities with over 4500 licensed orienteers and 112 clubs throughout the country. The Federation takes part in organizing many national and international events, in addition to major IOF events such as SEEOC, MCO and WCup events.
