MEDIA RELEASE: For three years, the International Adventure Racing Association (IARA) has fought the unwelcome takeover attempt of World Obstacle and World Pentathlon. As the democratically-formed, constituted and only recognised international representative body for the sport of adventure racing, the International Adventure Racing Association continues to push back against the inclusion of adventure racing as a sport to be governed by either World Obstacle, World Pentathlon or their integrated entity.
On 15 March 2026, the members of World Obstacle (Fédération Internationale de Sports d’Obstacles, FISO) will vote to dissolve their organisation to facilitate the integration of World Obstacle and World Pentathlon (Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, UIPM). World Obstacle maintains that the portfolio of sports they represent and are bringing into this merger includes adventure racing. This claim is without merit.
Before 2023, adventure racing had no international governing body, despite the existence of many national organisations and an active, global community. The leadership of World Obstacle unilaterally added adventure racing to their website and the organisation’s portfolio, without participation from national adventure racing organisations or communities from around the world. When the community was eventually consulted, they overwhelmingly voted to reject all involvement with World Obstacle, and the community rapidly united and mobilised to form the International Adventure Racing Association (IARA).
Instead of dropping their claim on adventure racing, as they had assured the community that they would do if the community rejected their ‘invitation’, World Obstacle has continued to push their agenda, including adventure racing in their portfolio of sports they would bring to UIPM in their merger deal. For their part in this situation, in the minutes from the 2024 UIPM Congress where adventure racing was discussed, UIPM Secretary General Shiny Fang admitted that they were “misled at the beginning about its status inside WO”.
At this same Congress, the International Adventure Racing Association succeeded, with support from UIPM members, in having the mention of adventure racing as a sub-sport of Pentathlon excluded from a proposed definition of the organisation’s sports. Despite this, Adventure Racing continues to appear in current merger documents as a discipline that would fall under the “sole international governing body” of the newly integrated UIPM structure. UIPM leadership states that adventure racing will be discussed as an internal matter after the merger is completed. But, with no adventure racing national organisations as members, UIPM has no authority to discuss or make decisions about a sport that they do not represent.
“Since 2023, the Adventure Racing community has overwhelmingly rejected World Obstacle’s claim of representing adventure racing, which they explicitly assured us they would cease. To see Adventure Racing included in merger documents is a clear act of bad faith and shows a profound disregard for the thousands of athletes, organisers, and national federations who make up our independent sport,” says the International Adventure Racing Association chairperson Ross Phillips.
“We will not allow the representation of Adventure Racing to be traded in a back-room deal.”
National adventure racing organisations are members of IARA. This takeover of Adventure Racing by World Obstacle has never been supported by the national adventure racing organisations or the global adventure racing community. This unwelcome inclusion of adventure racing by World Obstacle and World Pentathlon is not accepted by IARA and should be considered unacceptable to all in the global sports and Olympic movements.
The International Adventure Racing Association stresses that it has no issue with the merger of FISO and UIPM and wish them well with their integration. At the same time, IARA reiterates that they will continue to rally against the new, integrated UIPM structure until written confirmation is received that adventure racing is no longer included in their portfolio of sports.
The International Adventure Racing Association respects the rights of the Pentathlon and Obstacle Racing communities to chart their path forward for their sports. They expect those same athletes to respect the rights of adventure racing athletes to do the same.
With consultation, collaboration and teamwork, the International Adventure Racing Association and its members continue to work together to grow and celebrate the sport of adventure racing independently.
Visit www.internationaladventureracing.org for more about the International Adventure Racing Association.
ENDS
- International Adventure Racing Association (IARA)
- contact@internationaladventureracing.org
- internationaladventureracing.org
- @internationaladventureracing