Adventure Racing Says NO to World Obstacle and World Pentathlon
Press Release / 29.10.2024
The International Adventure Racing Association (IARA) warns the global adventure racing community that the sport of adventure racing is again at risk of take-over from an international federation that is disconnected and far removed from our sport. This is not acceptable and must be rejected by all adventure racing countries.
World Pentathlon (Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, UIPM, www.uipmworld.org) is in the process of integrating with World Obstacle (Fédération Internationale de Sports d’Obstacles, FISO, worldobstacle.org).
The adventure racing community will recall that in September 2020, ‘Adventure Racing’ suddenly appeared on World Obstacle’s website as a subsport without any engagement with the international adventure racing community. World Obstacle has continued to claim that it represents the sport of adventure racing, despite being outright rejected by the adventure racing community in early 2023. Their claim to represent the sport is not supported by the majority of established national adventure racing associations and the vast majority of the global Adventure Racing community.
World Obstacle includes adventure racing with obstacle course racing (OCR) and Ninja as ‘Obstacle Sports’, which it is selling as a ‘package deal’ to World Pentathlon in this merger. This is how adventure racing has ended up in World Pentathlon’s revised definition of ‘UIPM Sports’.
Why these two entities, with limited knowledge and interest in the sport, and no backing from adventure racing national bodies are pursuing adventure racing? Nobody really knows, but it appears to be nothing more than a numbers game, where adventure racing contributes additional reported membership and participation numbers to both.
Current Position
World Pentathlon is holding its annual Congress on 16 & 17 November 2024. A motion (Motion EB 3), will be presented to delegates to include the sport of adventure racing in a revised definition of ‘UIPM Sports’ along with other obstacle sports. This proposal comes as part of the integration process between World Pentathlon and World Obstacle. Reference Annexure A, Point 2.3
If this motion is passed, World Pentathlon will effectively proclaim itself as the representative and governing body of adventure racing worldwide.
The repercussions of all this, if the motion is carried, are likely to be very significant for IARA and all established national adventure racing organisations, race organisers and racers in how races are organised and run, and how the sport develops internationally.
As the International Adventure Racing Association (IARA) our position is that we:
- reject the UIPM 2024 Congress proposal of Motion EB 3: point 2.3 that includes the sport of Adventure Racing as a discipline under Modern Pentathlon.
- reject World Obstacle’s position that they represent the sport of Adventure Racing internationally in this merger with Modern Pentathlon.
- demand that the sport of Adventure Racing be removed from the definition of ‘UIPM Sports’ as well any reference to Adventure Racing within obstacle sports.
- demand that both World Pentathlon and World Obstacle drop their interest in adventure racing and leave it to IARA, the international body supported by national Adventure Racing organisations, to represent the sport internationally.
Call to Action
To get adventure racing excluded from World Obstacle and World Pentathlon, the following must happen:
- World Obstacle should relinquish its claim on adventure racing, remove adventure racing from its website and presentation to World Pentathlon, and respect that they were rejected by the adventure racing national bodies and community more than a year ago in favour of creating their own International Adventure Racing Association (IARA).
- World Pentathlon should be made aware that they have been deceived by World Obstacle, an organisation that never had any right to serve up the sport of adventure racing to them.
- Members of World Pentathlon must reject the inclusion of adventure racing under Motion EB 3 at the UIPM 2024 Congress in mid-November 2024.
IARA is calling on all national adventure racing associations and representatives of active countries without national adventure racing structures to make contact with the national representatives of World Pentathlon (UIPM member) in your country over the next two weeks. Explain the situation to them and request that they reject the inclusion of adventure racing in the definition of ‘UIPM Sports’ (Motion EB 3) at the UIPM 2024 Congress on 16 November 2024.
We also ask adventure racing representatives to make similar contact with the Obstacle sports organisation (World Obstacle member) in your country.
IARA also asks all adventure racing enthusiasts to express their views on this situation using social media channels like adventure racing media and discussion groups as well as those of the organisations involved. Use the hashtag #ARsaysNO.
As individual adventure racers, you can sign this online petition, adding your stamp to rejecting this Motion. [https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ar-says-no-to-uipm]
Emails can also be sent to World Pentathlon, Sport Accord, Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport (AIMS) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) with this simple message:
“We are adventure racers / race directors / national adventure racing organisation and we support the International Adventure Racing Association (IARA). We distance ourselves from World Obstacle (FISO) and World Pentathlon (UIPM), and their claim on adventure racing."
uipm@pentathlon.org (HQ)
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