When did the International Adventure Racing Association (IARA) form?
The AR Countries Working Group began laying the foundation for IARA in March 2023 and by the end of November 2023 they had issued a draft constitution that was signed and supported by 23 Adventure Racing national organisations and countries.
On Wednesday, 6 December 2023, an interim committee was voted in to stand for the new International Adventure Racing Association (IARA)[1]. This organisation, representing the sport of Adventure Racing internationally, came into being after eight months of collaborative efforts by national Adventure Racing organisations[2], and community representatives from countries[3] actively participating, hosting and competing in the sport of Adventure Racing. The process of formation of IARA was presented by Lisa de Speville at the International Adventure Racing Conference in October 2023[4].
The Interim Committee will continue to build the structure of the Association during 2024, taking the Association to its first AGM in December 2024.
The process of creating IARA brought over 30 Adventure Racing countries together. Already they are collectively communicating, and sharing information, knowledge, and experiences to assist each other.
[1] Minutes from the IARA Establishment Meeting (6 December 2023)
[2] Countries with established national Adventure Racing structures: Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Paraguay, Spain, United States of America, and Uruguay.
[3] Active Adventure Racing countries currently without national structures: Australia, Costa Rica, Colombia, India, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
[4] A 15-minute presentation at the International Adventure Racing Conference, by Lisa de Speville, on the formation of IARA can be watched on YouTube (29 November 2023)
Why did the International Adventure Racing Association (IARA) form?
For the better part of 35 years, the sport of Adventure Racing has had no official international structure.
Without international representation, Adventure Racing has not had the pleasure of partnerships with related international organisations. We have been unable to support and unite national Adventure Racing organisations and communities, and there has been no central, international, public point of contact for the sport. In our hyper-connected world, these are all needed. IARA has an important role to play in our international community.
While adventure racers around the world have developed personal friendships, there has been little official inter-country interaction. The process that led up to the formation of IARA has opened communication channels. As a result, we look forward to more sharing and collaboration to advance our sport in the years to come.
Who will be Members of IARA?
National Adventure Racing organisations will be voting Members of IARA. Our membership structure – currently in development – also makes provision for those countries in the process of establishing a national structure, those too small to have a national structure, organisations that directly support Adventure Racing but that are not national structures, and Race Directors. Membership applicants will be required to go through a validation process to determine their situation and, accordingly, their membership status. We are currently case testing the validation structure and aim to have this ready to implement by June 2024.
What services will IARA provide to its Members?
For now, the fundamental services will be:
- International representation of Adventure Racing; a point of contact for the sport globally.
- Advantages for national Adventure Racing structures & events; national organisations, and event organisers, can require membership or affiliation with an international body of the sport for recognition, access to funding, and even land permissions in their countries.
- Unity of Adventure Racing countries.
- Enable partnerships with other international federations.
- Provide rules (and structure for implementation), regulations, policies and resources for all countries.
- Service and support national associations and to assist more countries in creating national structures.
- Support and guide Race Director development
- Ensure that the sport and spirit of Adventure Racing are represented and upheld by its national associations, Race Directors and participants.
What is the relationship between IARA and event organising companies AR World Series and Adventure 1?
At the moment (March 2024), none.
But, part of our membership structure will accommodate for organisations that directly support Adventure Racing but that are not national structures, like event coordinating companies. Our Membership Task Group is working on the Membership structure and how everything will work. We will accommodate for AR World Series, Adventure 1, and any other event coordinating companies because they are essential to the sport of Adventure Racing.
What is the relationship between IARA and World Obstacle?
None.
In September 2020, FISO / World Obstacle (called World OCR at that time) first presented Adventure Racing on their website as a sub-sport of their organisation. The Adventure Racing community was mostly oblivious until December 2021 when World Obstacle issued a media release announcing the sanctioning of event coordinating company A1 Adventure as the “Official World Cup for Adventure Racing” and themselves as “the international governing body for the sports of Ninja, Obstacle Course Racing and Adventure Racing”[1].
The Adventure Racing community began to pay more attention after Race Director Stephan Muller, backed by other established Race Directors, issued a statement refuting claims by World Obstacle and A1 Adventure[2]. Most of the Adventure Racing community were unaware of World Obstacle’s claims and activities until early July 2022 when World Obstacle announced an Expedition Racing World Championship[3]. This was in direct ‘opposition’ to the long-established and recognised AR World Championship presented by AR World Series. This put two expedition-length ‘World Championship’ events on the calendar.
World Obstacle called a Zoom meeting on Saturday, 18 February 2023 “to discuss options for the establishment of an international federation for adventure racing”[4] and with the aim of electing a Technical Committee at the meeting. Ian Adamson, President of World Obstacle, “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”[5].
At this meeting, their invitation to form a Technical Committee was rejected in favour of the formation of “a working group/ consultation group to examine the buy in and support for establishing an international federation for adventure racing in some form”[6].
A working group was established and by the middle of April 2023, the AR Countries Working Group presented the results of a widespread and extensive international poll[7]. The outcome was that Adventure Racing countries voted to establish their own independent Adventure Racing association and rejected involvement with World Obstacle. Aside from seeing their sport as unique and completely unrelated to Obstacle Course Racing, the community was sceptical about World Obstacle’s motives and intentions, their financial arrangements where operational costs are met by the President, and they were wary of World Obstacle’s connections to event coordinating company A1 Adventure[8].
After presenting the poll results to the Adventure Racing countries, the AR Working Group addressed a letter to FISO/World Obstacle[9] and a few days later met with Mr Adamson on Zoom to present and discuss the poll results[10].
The AR Countries Working Group requested that World Obstacle remove reference to Adventure Racing as a sub-sport from the World Obstacle website and to cease presenting itself as the governing body of the sport of Adventure Racing.
Mr Adamson said that he cannot do this as World Obstacle’s Congress had voted Adventure Racing in[11], they would have to vote it out. He said that he would present our letter and results to the members at the 9th Congress in September 2023[12]. In the Minutes for this 9th Congress, this was not raised by Mr Adamson and the only mention of Adventure Racing is with respect to FISO’s ‘2023 World Level Events’[13] with ‘WC’ (World Cup) and WCH (World Championship) referenced. Under point 10, Other Matters, the minutes clearly state “There were no other matters to be discussed”.
In the 18 February 2023 FISO meeting, in subsequent Zoom meetings as well as the 26 April 2023 meeting, Mr Adamson reiterated how FISO has “no desire to govern a sport that does not wish to be governed or collaborate“, that “It was pointed out that FISO did not wish to ‘take -over’ the sport of adventure racing” and that FISO was not a Predatory International Federation “that ‘takes’ a sport without seeking consensus from the sports community”[14]. Yet, this is what World Obstacle has done.
Despite the formation of the AR Countries Working Group and the new International Adventure Racing Association, Mr Adamson and his World Obstacle organisation have continued to present FISO / World Obstacle as the representative, and sole authority and governing body of the sport of Adventure Racing to events and organisations, in media interviews and media releases, to sporting bodies, and on their website and social media. We have again requested that they cease all involvement in the sport of Adventure Racing.
World Obstacle has no role in the sport of Adventure Racing. Their self-assumed position has been rejected by the global Adventure Racing community of established national Adventure Racing organisations, and those countries with active participation that do not yet have national structures. The Adventure Racing community voted to establish an independent international organisation, and this has now been done with the formation of the International Adventure Racing Association (IARA). IARA has no relationship with World Obstacle or its President Mr Ian Adamson.
[1] Adventure 1 Sanctioned as the Adventure Race World Series (9 December 2021, Outdoorsportswire.com)
[2] Statement Challenging the Claims of World Obstacle and Adventure One (A1 Adventure) on the Future of Adventure Racing and (5 January 2022, SleepMonsters.com)
[3] Global expedition racing world championships launched for Godzone 2023 (1 June 2022, adventuremagazine.co.nz)
[4] Heading of FISO meeting invitation document (February 2023, PDF download)
[5] FISO meeting minutes, page 3, point 6 c. (18 February 2023, PDF download)
[6] FISO meeting minutes, page 3, point 6 n. (18 February 2023, PDF download)
[7] Notes from the AR Countries Working Group Survey Results and meeting presentation. (15 April 2023, PDF downloads)
[8] Ian Adamson registered Adventure 1 LLC in Colorado on 18 October 2021 (PDF download). On 9 December 2021, World Obstacle announced its recognition of Adventure 1 as “the official World Series for the sport of Adventure Racing” (9 December 2021, Outdoor Sportswire). Ian Adamson dissolved Adventure 1 LLC on 25 December 2023 (PDF download).
[9] Letter from AR Countries Working Group to FISO / World Obstacle regarding poll results (21 April 2023, PDF download)
[10] Notes from meeting of AR Countries Working Group with World Obstacle regarding poll results (26 April 2023, PDF download)
[11] At the 6th FISO Congress, on 29 August 2020, just before Adventure Racing appears on the FISO website for the first time (web.archive.org), there is no mention in the 6th Congress Minutes (29 August 2020, PDF download) of voting by Congress to incorporate Adventure Racing, but yet Adventure Racing is appears in a mention as a sub-sport (point VIII). Adventure Racing being voted in does not appear in the Congress minutes from the 7th or 8th Congress Meetings either.
[12] Notes from meeting of AR Countries Working Group with World Obstacle page 2, point 3 (26 April 2023, PDF download)
[13] FISO 9th FISO Congress Minutes page 2, point 9. (16 September 2023, PDF download from World Obstacle website)
[14] These quotes from the FISO meeting minutes, page 3, point 6 d; page 4, point 7A; and page 8, point f) iv. (18 February 2023, PDF download)