IARA reaches out to Obstacle and Pentathlon members

On 15 March 2026, members of World Obstacle are to vote on dissolving their federation. There is an immediate risk that adventure racing will be carried into UIPM by default because of World Obstacle’s claim of adventure racing as an Obstacle sport. 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. This is unacceptable. 

The International Adventure Racing Association (IARA) has reached out to members of World Obstacle and members of World Pentathlon asking them to take specific action to prevent adventure racing from being carried into this merger.

Dragging adventure racing into UIPM must be prevented for the following reasons:

  • Separate Governance: The International Adventure Racing Association (IARA) is the sole international body formed by the global community to represent this sport. In the two years since the official formation of IARA, we have united adventure racing countries, increased national membership, and are on the pathway to international recognition.
  • A Mandate of Rejection: In early 2023, the global adventure racing community united to explicitly reject FISO’s advances. They voted against FISO’s offer to be part of their organisation. FISO President Ian Adamson said that he would respect the community’s wishes yet he has failed to do so.
  • Acknowledged Misinformation: UIPM Secretary General Shiny Fang has admitted on record, in the UIPM 2024 Congress Minutes, that UIPM was “misled” by World Obstacle regarding Adventure Racing’s status within that organisation.
  • No Alignment: Adventure Racing is a unique, independent sport with no interest in involvement with Pentathlon or Obstacle Sports.

Letters sent to World Obstacle and Pentathlon members

Additional Information : Adventure Racing’s history with World Obstacle and UIPM:

  • 29 August 2020, 6th FISO Congress – No mention in the Minutes of Congress voting adventure racing into FISO, yet Adventure Racing is mentioned for the first time as a sub-sport.
  • Sept 2020 – Adventure Racing appears for the first time on the FISO website as a listed discipline. The international adventure racing community and national associations were not consulted. This was unnoticed by the adventure racing community which had no link to obstacle sports.
  • 18 February 2023: Ian Adamson, President of FISO, calls a meeting to discuss options for the establishment of an international federation for adventure racing. The meeting minutes record that Adamson “informed the meeting that FISO has agreed to bring the sport of adventure racing under its umbrella as a recognised international federation, but it is up to the adventure racing community internationally to agree and come on board with this”.
  • March 2023 – Adventure Racing community mobilises and unites at a global level to vote that they do not wish to be part of FISO. FISO refuses to remove adventure racing from their website despite saying that they would respect the community’s wishes.
  • January 2024 –Interim Steering Committee forms to establish the International Adventure Racing Association (IARA).
  • November 2024 IARA requests UIPM and UIPM members to remove ‘adventure racing’ from the revised definition of UIPM Sports, as proposed in Motion EB3 at UIPM 2024 Congress. With support from UIPM members, the Motion was not passed. In the amended definition ‘adventure racing’ was removed, but the wording “and standalone disciplines of Obstacle sport” remained. 

In the UIPM 2024 Congress Minutes (Page 16), UIPM Secretary Shiny Fang is noted as saying, “On the other hand, SF said Adventure was a different story, as UIPM was misled at the beginning about its status inside WO”. Questions from countries on pages 15 and 16 are worth reading.

  • January 2025 – First AGM of IARA held ratifying the constitution prepared by the Interim Steering Committee and formally constituting IARA.
  • Q3 2025 – in the document ‘World Obstacle Reaffirm Commitment to Collaborative Integration Process with UIPM’, adventure racing is included with the other disciplines listed as part of World Obstacle… “If integration is approved, World Obstacle will be dissolved and UIPM, as the integrated body, will become the sole international governing body for Ninja, OCR, Adventure Racing, Calisthenics, and related disciplines”.
  • September 2025: In the document ‘World Obstacle 11th Congress: UIPM Integration Vote’, adventure racing is still shown as a sport under UIPM in Figure 1 

Additional References

  • International Adventure Racing Association (IARA) is the recognised international body for the sport of Adventure Racing, created by and supported by national Adventure Racing organisations. See all IARA Meeting Minutes from founding to present, and Member list.

ENDS

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