Orienteers from 20 countries will be in Hawke's Bay for the final two races in the World Cup Series next month.
New Zealand is hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1994 and the event has attracted 115 entries. An Oceania series will run in conjunction with the World Cup and this will swell the total number of competitors to more than 1000.
The final two World Cup events will be held on farmland near Puketapu on January 13, with a middle-distance prologue in the morning and a chasing start race in the afternoon. The Oceania series' event six will be at Smedley Station on January 12 and event seven at Puketapu on January 13.
When New Zealand last hosted a World Cup race in 1994, the men's title was won by a New Zealander, series director Graham Teahan said.
"We have high hopes of a Kiwi featuring in the placings in 2013 following the recent win by New Zealander Mathew Ogden in the middle-distance junior world championships in Slovakia. New Zealander Tim Robertson won the 2012 Australian men's elite long-distance title," Teahan said.