The opening races in the World Orienteering Championships took place in Forres and Nairn over the weekend.
Over 350 athletes are taking part in the competition, with over 5,000 enthusiasts expected to make their way to Moray and the Highlands to take in the action over the coming week.
The championships opened with sprint events on Friday evening, with the opening qualifying contest and last night’s final race both taking place in Forres.
On Saturday, a sprint relay was held on the streets of Nairn.
The championships event has attracted top-class athletes from around the world and last night’s male and female victors both hailed from Scandinavia.
Women’s winner Jonas Leandersson is a Swedish national, while Jerker Lysell, who took the top prize in the men’s section, hails from Denmark.
Regional development officer for orienteering in Moray, Mike Rodgers, said orienteering was a national pastime in Scandinavia.
He said he hopes that by staging this year’s championship in Scotland, the sport will ignite a similar passion here.
Mr Rodgers said: “Orienteering is huge in Scandinavia, and that is reflected in the success of competitors from that area.
“While the sport is popular in the UK, and I’m hopeful that some of our entrants have a good chance of winning medals during the week, we aspire to create that same level of interest here.”
He added: “The weekend’s races were fantastic, and we were shown a lot of support in Nairn and Forres.
“The athletes love it here, as Scottish towns pose some unique challenges for orienteering.
“And I think Glen Affric, where the final event is being held, is the ultimate test in orienteering due to its terrain.”
Last night’s race winners were awarded flowers in lieu of medals, as silverware is only distributed following checks that participants have navigated the course fairly.
The World Orienteering Championships is being held alongside the 20th edition of The Scottish 6-Days event.
Challenges will continue this week in Inverness, Nairn, Glen Strathfarrar and Darnaway, with the contest concluding in Glen Affric on Saturday.
More than 365 competitors from 51 nations including Nepal, Uganda and Egypt, are taking part the events.
The orienteering spectacular is expected to contribute £2.5million to the area’s economy.