British Obstacle Sports, the national governing body of obstacle course racing (OCR) and ninja sport, has today partnered with Pentathlon GB, the national governing body of modern pentathlon. Modern pentathlon is a multi-discipline Olympic sport that includes five events: fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping, and a combination of running and shooting. Athletes compete in these diverse disciplines, showcasing their physical and mental abilities, making it a challenging and exciting sport.

Last year, the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) selected ‘obstacle’ as the new 5th discipline for the sport to replace equestrian show jumping in junior and senior international competitions. The format chosen is short (100 metres or less), fast, and similar to the OCR100 that has been at the recent OCR European and World Championships.

UIPM has also submitted a proposal to the International Olympic Committee for this potential new discipline to be included at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The decision will be made later this month.

The initial objective of the partnership between British Obstacle Sports and Pentathlon GB is to increase the number and variety of obstacle competitions and events being delivered across the UK. The collaboration follows British Obstacle Sports’ volunteers supporting the successful ‘Come and Try Obstacle’ sessions held at the 2023 Modern Pentathlon World Championships at the University of Bath in August.

Pentathlon GB has also recently appointed British Obstacle Sports’ President, James Burton, as a co-opted member of the Pentathlon GB Board.

James Burton, President, British Obstacle Sports, says: “Working together, we can help bring the endless possibilities of obstacle sports to even more communities across the UK. We’re delighted that Pentathlon GB will provide guest obstacles at our Junior National Championships, and we will partner on our 100m Sprint National Championship in January 2024.”

“As a co-opted Pentathlon GB board member, I also look forward to personally helping to grow and develop OCR within the family of pentathlon disciplines.”

Trafford Wilson, CEO at Pentathlon GB, says: “We are really excited about working with British Obstacle Sports to help grow and develop the number of obstacle events and opportunities across Britain. In the coming months, we will be working with British Obstacle Sports to include obstacle events alongside our very successful national biathlon championships and within our Festival of Pentathlon in June 2024. Additionally, we will be welcoming British Obstacle Sports members to make use of our new sprint obstacle course that will be set up at the University of Bath from March 2024.”

Further information on Pentathlon GB events, including the new OCR discipline, can be found on the Pentathlon GB National Events Calendar 2024 web page.