Fresh from their success in winning the British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) Club Championship, the Aberdeen University Orienteering Club are preparing to travel to Italy next month to take on the world's best in orienteering competition.
The team has been invited to take part in the renowned World Park Race in Venice, on November 6 and 7, where they will compete at the highest level against competitors from all continents.
The World Park Race is one of a series of international races in the orienteering calendar. Park Orienteering, in which the students' will be competing, is a sprint form of the normal sport with distances normally between two and 10 kilometres. This results in very quick finishing times, meaning even a slight mistake can be very costly as the top 20 runners are separated usually by only 10 seconds or less.
Aberdeen University Orienteering Club, which has been established since 1975, are hoping to obtain enough funding to be able to send 10 of their best runners to Venice to represent their University and the City of Aberdeen.
However, with less than three weeks left before the event takes place, time is fast running out and Club Captain Ian Morrison is appealing for much-needed financial assistance to help the team on its way to Venice.
He said: "Winning the BUSA Championship was an amazing achievement and on the back of that the opportunity to test ourselves against the best runners in the world is mouth watering! However the manner in which university sports clubs are funded means that international competition is simply out of reach without sponsorship.
"It's this that stops many young star athletes from getting noticed in sport, because student hardship is already constraining enough, without taking into account the finances required to compete at serious levels in their chosen sport.
"We desperately want to represent our University and city, so we're seeking contributions from generous individuals or businesses, no matter how small which will assist us in buying running kit, and funding towards hostel accommodation and flights."
Anyone interested in sponsoring Aberdeen University Orienteering Club, or requiring more information on the Club and the World Park Race, should contact Ian Morrison, Club Captain, on (01224) 272311.