The UIPM saga with OCR rolls on

Here you will find all the updates as we receive them 

The Story So far

2024 UIPM vote at their national meeting to take over the world of OCR and become the self appointed governing body for Obstacle course racing

Press release from UIPM on 11/04/2025

Statement from British Obstacle Sports on 14/04/25 

*Statement on the UIPM Obstacle World Championship Announcement* British Obstacle Sports remains a national federation under the international governance of World Obstacle. We will continue to operate as the national governing body for ninja and OCR in the UK and will support the selection process for athletes seeking to compete at international events sanctioned by World Obstacle, including the OCR European Championships (Portugal), OCR 400m European Championships (Ireland), and the OCR World Championships (Sweden).

We are very disappointed by the announcement that the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) will host an Obstacle World Championship in China for the next four years. This follows the unilateral move in November 2024 to include the governance of standalone obstacle disciplines within their statutes.

We will be seeking clarity from World Obstacle regarding its position on this event.

It is worth noting that it is not uncommon for multiple international federations to claim governance over the same sport. In parkour, for instance, three organisations—International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), International Parkour Federation (IPF), and Parkour Earth—assert international authority. While this situation is far from ideal, British Obstacle Sports will continue to work closely with World Obstacle to help resolve the current uncertainty.

Our mission is to ensure that everyone in the UK can enjoy the endless possibilities of obstacle sports. We remain committed to this mission—whether it’s a ninja furthest-fastest competition, a 24-hour World's Toughest Mudder, or everything in between.

As a volunteer-led organisation with hundreds of years of collective experience in the sport, we strongly believe in our ability to support and grow obstacle sports in the UK. Your continued support as members is crucial as we await a decision from the UK Sports Councils on our recognition application.

We are here to support any questions that you may have. You can also share your feedback through one of the following mechanisms:

General questions/feedback: membership@britishobstacle.org

National team questions/feedback: nationalteam@britishobstacle.org

We Are Listening feedback: Give your feedback here

updated with news from latest UIPM taskforce meeting on 24/06/25

• Group agrees on three guiding principles for historic project
• Action Plan to follow in July in pursuit of unified governance model
• President Stull commends ‘energising’ online gathering

Following the announcement of the UIPM Obstacle Task Force on June 2, UIPM President Rob Stull chaired the group’s inaugural online meeting on June 18 – a key milestone in the advancement of Obstacle sport integration within UIPM’s global governance framework.

Obstacle is now fully embedded in Modern Pentathlon and the discipline will have its first standalone World Championships in Beijing in October 2025 – with registration now open for both international and Chinese athletes.

The Task Force brings together representatives from both the Pentathlon and Obstacle communities, with a clear mission: to facilitate the structured integration of Pentathlon National Federations with the wider Obstacle ecosystem. This includes National Federations, associations, clubs and other national-level entities, reflecting a shared commitment to the growth and development of both merging movements.

The meeting emphasised three guiding principles that will underpin the Task Force’s work: cooperation, consultation and communication. A strong focus was placed on ensuring open, transparent and consistent messaging from both the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) and the Fédération Internationale de Sports d’Obstacles (FISO) to keep all stakeholders fully informed and engaged throughout the process.

The Task Force will publish an Action Plan in July, outlining the roadmap, timelines and key priorities for the next phases of the process. In parallel, UIPM – as the sole International Federation within the Olympic Movement governing both Modern Pentathlon and Obstacle sports – will continue developing a unified governance model, reaffirming its leadership in guiding the structured integration of the two communities.

UIPM President Rob Stull said: “The first meeting of the Obstacle Task Force was highly successful. We enjoyed discussing full integration challenges and best practices for Pentathlon and Obstacle disciplines such as Ninja and OCR across a global landscape in a collegial and highly competent environment.

“I think the meeting energised the ongoing process and will ensure success.”

FISO / World Obstacle President Ian Adamson added: “Many Federations and Associations have had success with their integrations to date. We will continue focusing on these successes and use those examples to continue moving forward to complete the integration process.”