BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- As the UIPM 2026 Obstacle World Championships concluded at Beijing's Universal CityWalk on Sunday, UIPM President Rob Stull and Secretary General Shiny Fang described the event as a successful example of integrating competitions into urban settings.
It marks the second consecutive year the obstacle worlds is held in Beijing. Last year, the National Olympic Sports Center hosted the first edition after obstacle was incorporated into modern pentathlon.
"I was very happy with the previous venues. They were beautiful and well-organized. But this venue [Universal Studios] is really about entertainment, and that is the difference," Stull said. "Universal is such a worldwide known brand. Out of a sports venue, and get into a themed park. For everybody, it's a great opportunity."
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, many events were held at the iconic urban sites, including the Palace of Versailles and the Eiffel Tower.
"We saw what could be done in terms of these iconic sites. It was really cool and highly successful for everyone. We took some inspiration from the Paris Games, absolutely," said Stull.
As a new discipline within modern pentathlon, obstacle will replace equestrian and make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
"The next Games in Los Angeles is a very different setup. Los Angeles doesn't have locations like Paris, but we have Hollywood," Stull said. "Modern pentathlon is in the urban cluster. It's about 3x3 basketball, skateboarding, BMX freestyle, to name a few. These are whole youth things with urban vibes."
This year's five-day Obstacle World Championships features the 100m individual, 400m individual, 4x100m relay, 3km individual and 3km team competitions, while U11 and U13 groups are introduced to the 100m and 3km events.
"For the young kids in Asia, they have their typical sports such as table tennis and badminton. Normally, we think these types of things like the obstacle run is more for western people. But the truth is that every kid has a nature. When they see the obstacles, they just want to overcome all these," said Fang. "That is why we try to encourage more children and teenagers to participate in this challenging event."
According to the UIPM calendar, the Obstacle World Championships will also take place in Beijing in the next two years.
"We will be happy to come back here at the Universal Studios, but we don't have an answer yet. Not only the Universal Studios but also other famous places could be considered as well. I believe we have more opportunities next year," said Fang. ■
