An Open Letter to AR World Series Organisers - Adopting National Teams for Races

Nathan Faâ€™avae / 04.09.2013

To the World Series Race Directors,

Thank you for your time, passion and energy that you are investing and giving to the sport of adventure racing. As most of you know, I have been taking part in the sport for 15-years now, completed over 50-major races and seen the sport through a number of 'generations'.

Within New Zealand, I was what we term the 2nd generation of athletes, with the first generation being the John Howard era. We are now in our 4th generation. On a global scale, some of the first generation athletes, the pioneers, are still involved in the sport today Petri, Antonio, Guri, Pascal to name a few, and some are still racing.

I've seen the top level of the sport of Adventure Racing hit a peak then suffer a decline. The 'golden years' for a professional athlete were undoubtably around the Eco-Challenge period, 1998-2002. Sponsorship was easier to get and there was the highest number of fully sponsored teams racing. The prize money was high, competitive racing and exciting destinations to compete in and visit.

In 2005 I decided to retire from Adventure Racing and one of the reasons was the decline in the sport.

It's 2013 and I'm back racing, I believe the sport is in excellent shape and growing extremely positively and that is a huge credit to all those involved in the AR World Series.

Before I retire again! - which could be 2013, or 2014, or maybe 2015 - the one thing I would love to be part of and see evolve is the AR World Championship become a competition between Nations involving National Teams.

Countries Racing Countries: Emphasis on Nations

Currently the AR World Championships is a competition between corporate syndicate teams. Seagate versus Thule versus Silva. It could be New Zealand versus France versus Sweden.

This is not a new concept. In 2001 UK TV Producer Mark Burnett, the visionary Director of Eco Challenge, set a goal of having Adventure Racing at the 2012 London Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) instructed him the first thing he'd need to do was adopt the drug testing rules and change the structure of the race from Corporate Teams to National Teams, so he did.

At the time there was some small protesting from some teams but everyone knew back then that Mark set his rules for sound reasons and trusted his decision. At the time there were a lot of pro teams, Nokia, Ertips, Intersport, Eco-Internet (GoLite, Nike) Montrail, Seagate, Earthlink, Mazda, Red Bull Playstation, Buff, to name a few. While most of these teams were single/same nationality, many of these teams were multi-national and that normally meant they contained either New Zealand or Australian athletes, often in US based squads.

When Eco Challenge changed their rules to only accept same nationality teams it was soon discovered that it opened more possibility and opportunity. A number of excellent athletes were discovered as a result who may not have been and teams found it easier to find sponsorship, contributed by the fact the international media grasped the Nationality angle of the racing, which ultimately meant the public could understand the sport more, cheering for their country folk versus a commercial company. People don’t leap out of the seats cheering for a corporate like they do for their country.

When Eco Challenge was held in NZ in 2001, our team was funded by the NZ Government because it was a major televised event that had a true international flavor because all the teams were representing their nations. The NZ Government has not funded an adventure racing team since, despite the fact NZ teams have won the AR World Championships numerous times. With the AR World Championships changing to National Teams, I firmly believe the sport will take another big step forward.

One Race Each Year: For Your Country

WORLD CHAMPS RESULTS (A)

· 1st Technu

· 2nd Adidas

· 3rd Buff

You have to admit, it does not look right. The international media have been saying for over a decade covering adventure racing is very difficult for the reason highlighted above.

WORLD CHAMPS RESULTS (B)

· 1st USA

· 2nd Brazil

· 3rd Finland

This is what they have been asking for. In reality, because most countries and especially the host Nation field more than one team, the Corporate Sponsor does get some exposure, as they are the method of identifying the teams, but the Nation is the focus.

WORLD CHAMPS RESULTS (C)

· 1st France (Thule)

· 2nd Costa Rica (Toyota)

· 3rd NZ (Seagate)

Change

From what I can see, the majority of the teams racing in the AR World Series are same Nationality, from the same place. For this reason I believe the period right now is and has been the easiest time to change the entry criteria. It’s for the good of the sport, it’s a positive step forward.

I can appreciate that event promoters will ask the question “Will this change mean we get less teams capable of entering?” My answer would be “maybe in the short term, but unlikely, certainly in the long term it will only raise the amount of teams wishing to participate in the World Championship Event.”

Is the sport of adventure racing big enough to demand teams race as their Nation at the World Championships once every year?

We can Learn from Mountain Biking and Cycling: The World Champs are Focused on Nationality

Mountain Biking is perhaps the best model to take lead from. The International Cycling Union (UCI) have 6-cross country races in the World Cup. These races are where the athletes fly their trade team brands and logos, much the same as road cycling. At the World Champs however, the trade team signage takes a back seat and the forefront is National Teams, colors and a chance for the athletes to represent their country rather than their Corporate Sponsor. There is an almost sacred protection in cycling not to allow the World Titles to be diminished by commercial entities. It’s all about country.

Do it for Your Country

I know from history that when people are forced to look within their country to find great team mates they will.

As multiple winner of the AR World Champs, my honest view on it is that the race has little significance other than it’s called the World Champs. But having raced Mountain Bikes at World Cup and World Champs level, The AR World Champs is purely just another race on the calendar, against the same teams we always race, it’s no different.

I’m happy to grab the title and exploit it for sponsorship reasons, but it has no greater meaning for me because I do not believe it is an authentic World Championship event. I know at Eco Challenge NZ in 2001, when I pulled on the black race bib, I whole heartedly felt and knew I had the weight of a Nation in that bib, I’ve never had that feeling again even in the 5-AR World Championships I have since done.

I highly encourage the AR World Series and World Championship Race to adopt a National Team policy as soon as practically possible. I’d love to race in what I’d consider to be a bona- fide World Champs before I retire ... again.

Kind regards,

Nathan Fa’avae