POM Arenas are being builted

Posted on

Despite the adverse weather conditions affecting central Portugal over the past weeks, and forecasts still indicating some rain and wind, the Municipality of Mira has been spared from the severe damage experienced in several areas further south, such as Pombal, Leiria and Marinha Grande, among others. Likewise, no flooding has been recorded in the Mira or Praia de Mira areas.

As the storms are now beginning to ease, preparations for POM 2026 are progressing well at the Arenas. There are no concerns regarding safety conditions, and everything is in geeting in place to deliver a top-quality orienteering event in every aspect.

Since yesterday, the Arena Mira Norte and the Elite Sprint quarantine tents in Praia de Mira have been under construction.

As shown in the images, the main Arena tent is raised above ground level, ensuring that, even in the event of some rain, all equipment and participants will be well protected inside.

Programme Update

Posted on

Some adjustments have been made to the POM 2026 programme, namely to the zero times of the competitions on 13, 14 and 15 February, due to the increase in the number of participants registered in recent days.

Please visit the Programme page to consult the updated information.

POM 2026 Virtual Assistant

Posted on

Discover a smarter way to get information about the Portugal “O” Meeting 2026!

By harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence, Ori-Estarreja introduces an innovative feature on the POM 2026 website: the Portugal “O” Meeting Chatbot.

Simply click on the Chatbot logo in the bottom-right corner of any page to start a conversation with the POM 2026 Virtual Assistant.

The Chatbot is multilingual and able to respond in several languages, making it easier than ever for international participants to get the information they need. The interface opens in English by default, but you can ask your questions in your own language.

With full access to all content published on the event website, the Virtual Assistant can provide instant answers about competition classes, entries, event venues, timetables, and much more.

The Chatbot also has a solid understanding of the sport of orienteering and its main concepts, making it especially helpful for newcomers.

Whether you are an experienced orienteer or attending your first major event, feel free to ask your questions in natural language — clear, fast, and intuitive.

Try it now — you may be pleasantly surprised!

The Portugal “O” Meeting Chatbot is sponsored and developed on the AI BOTSchool platform by Altice Labs.

Mira Norte Arena – Parking

Posted on

POM 2026 will have a single Arena for all forest stages, located at the centre of the forest area where the competitions will take place.

At the time of this publication, the organisation faces the challenge of coordinating parking for more than 2,500 people, including athletes, officials, staff and event support teams.

To ensure that everything runs smoothly, organisation personnel will be present at the access points to facilitate arrival at the competitions and to direct vehicles to the different parking areas according to vehicle type, ensuring that access for emergency, priority and public transport vehicles is not compromised.

The organisation kindly asks all participants to read the information below carefully, as this will help to ensure a smooth traffic flow throughout POM 2026.

Mira Norte Arena
Traffic Flow and Parking
  • Parking at the Arena Mira Norte will be arranged along a paved road and an unpaved dirt road.
    To ensure that the process runs safely and efficiently, strict rules will be implemented and are mandatory for all POM 2026 participants.
  • Access Rules for Mira Norte Arena

    1. Access to Arena Mira Norte must be made exclusively via the village of Barra de Mira (west of the Arena):: 40.4888, -8.7833.

    2. Once in Barra de Mira, drivers must follow the event signs, entering the Arena access road in the West → East direction.

    3. Traffic on the Arena access road is strictly one-way (West → East). As shown in the diagram below, it is not possible to access Arena Mira Norte from the East, South, or North.

    4. Upon arrival at the parking area, drivers must strictly follow the organisers’ instructions. Vehicles will be directed to one of three parking areas:
      a. Paved road before the Arena (west of the Arena);
      b. Unpaved dirt road (north of the Arena);
      c. Paved road after the Arena (east of the Arena).

    5. At the end of the stages:
      a. Drivers parked on the paved road must continue eastwards;
      b. Drivers parked on the dirt road must continue northwards;
      c. U-turns are strictly forbidden. All drivers must comply with the mandatory traffic flow directions.

  • Motorhome and Caravan Parking

    • All motorhomes and caravans will be directed to the unpaved dirt road north of the Arena.

    • The first 400 metres of this road are reserved exclusively for motorhome and caravan parking.

    • All other passenger vehicles may only park beyond the area reserved for motorhomes and caravans, as indicated by the on-site signage.

  • Bus Parking

    Bus parking will be provided at the junction located near the Arena (approximately 150 metres from the Arena):

    40.4858, -8.7606.

Old Map

To view the previous Mira Norte map (covering only 5.5 km² of the current 25 km²), as well as the updated Dunas de Vagos map — now partly integrated into the Mira Norte map — please refer to the page Mira Norte map – Forest stages