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FISO OCR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Part of the OCR Triple Crown

CITY OF GENK

The FISO OCR World Championships, including Para OCR World Championship categories, are the official championships of the national federation members of World Obstacle, representing athletes from over 110 countries. Belgiun Obstacle Course Racing Association (BOCRA) and the City of Genk are hosting the Championships. FISO works with international sports governing bodies to maintain compliance with rules and regulations related to anti-doping and other issue of importance to the global sports community.

Preliminary Schedule of Events

Wednesday: 100m practice
Thursday: 100m heats, Packet pick-up, Technical Meeting & Opening Ceremonies (mandatory)
Friday: 3K Short Course, awards & 100m heats
Saturday: 15K Standard Distance, awards & 100m heats, party
Sunday: 3K Team Assist, 100m heats & finals, awards, closing ceremonies

Venue

Thor Park Genk is a 12,000 hectare domain in the Belgian province of Limburg. It is a beautiful nature reserve with a large open space for sports and recreation. The venue is located next to the City of Genk.

Travel

A shuttle service will be organized (at a discount rate on request) for national teams and athletes arriving by plane. Thor Park Genk is 60 minutes drive from Brussels South, Düsseldorf, and Eindhoven airports, and is next to the City of Genk. Low cost shuttles between the athletes village and competition venue will run throughout the event.

Accommodation

The athletes village provided by CenterParcs with accommodation for 3,500 athletes in bungalows of various sizes. Book your accommodation here. Discounts are built into the pricing. M Hotel, Ecu Hotel and Carbon Hotel Genk offer accommodations, from budget to super-chic. Book your hotel using this link and use discount code WORLDOBSTACLEWC23.

OCR Triple Crown

The OCR Triple Crown brings together three obstacle world championships:

Anyone is eligible to compete for the OCR Triple Crown, although athletes must meet event specific qualifications:

  • Spartan 3K World Championship: Athletes must qualify for the Elite 3K event
  • World’s Toughest Mudder 24-HR OCR World Championship: Athletes must meet criteria to race in the Contender category
  • OCR 100m at the FISO World Championships: Athletes must be registered with their national federation
  • Racers must complete all three events in order to be eligible for the Triple Crown trophy.
  • Points will be issued equal to a racer’s finish place after each event.
  • After all three events, the OCR Triple Crown winner will be the athlete with the fewest points.
  • Tie breaking will be done by referring to combined race finish times for all three events.
  • The top male and female racers each year will be awarded the coveted OCR Triple Crown Trophy.

Eligibility to Compete in FISO World Championships

The World Obstacle National Federation eligibility guideline specifies that for a competitor to represent their country in competitive categories of federation championships (national, continental, and international), they must be in good standing with their national federation per the World Obstacle Competition Rules. The nationality of a competitor is guided by the Olympic Charter Rule 4. Details are available in the Eligibility to Compete document in the downloads below.

The OCR 100m International Standard Course

The FISO OCR 100m is an international standard course recognized by Guinness with established World Records. The course was developed as a standard in 2018 and included in the 2019 and 2023 Southeast Asia Games, a multisport Games recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Details for setting records and specifications for the OCR 100m Standard Course can be downloaded at the bottom of the world records page.

REGISTER HERE

Registration

Athletes must be registered with their National Federation for all competitive categories. This can be done during registration, however, National Federations validate athlete memberships and that they have qualified to represent their country on the national team. Important information for registration here. The registration platform includes athlete medical passport, event ID, and real time result functions. If you have questions on how to use the registration platform, please review the knowledge base at My Next Match.

Awards

Gold, Silver and Bronze medals are awarded for top three in each category. Prize money may be awarded to the top three finishers in Elite races. Medal tally will be kept for the top-performing countries.

Categories

Competitive race categories include individual men and women in Elite, 2-year age groups for Youth (10 to 15) and  Junior (16 to 19), 5-year age groups for Senior (20 to 39) and Masters (40+.) See details in the Event & Category Details section below. Open (Journeyman) waves may be available for non-competitive athletes, subject to availability after competitive categories are filled.

Qualification

Qualification to represent each country is through the national federations. Championships such as the OCR European Championships, OCR Asia-Pacific Championships, national championships and races specified by each country’s national federation may be qualifiers. Details on World Championship Qualification are available here.

National Teams are limited to five (5) athletes per competitive category (elite and age group). Additional athletes may compete in the open category. Details on qualification for each Country is available here.

Events & Formats

Event formats include 100 m individual Sprint (12 obstacles, video here), 3 km individual and team Short Course (~20 obstacles ) and 15 km individual Standard  Distance (~50 obstacles) cross country Obstacle Course Races. Qualification for OCR World Championships assumes athletes study and train for the obstacle format, rules, terrain and weather conditions.

Competition Rules

Competition Rules are specific to each event. Rules for competitive categories allow only one attempt per obstacle. The races and competition rules are formatted to facilitate fairness, event flow, judging and eliminate back-ups at obstacles. A high level of obstacle proficiency is required and courses and are designed for completion by world level athletes in all categories. Races are not “failure” competitions, and are designed for national teams selected from the best athletes in each country. This meets criteria accepted for medal events in Games and championships under regulation by the International Olympic Committee for athletes competing at the highest level.

Athlete & Entourage Conduct

National Federation members and recognized events of World Obstacle are required to promote the character development of athletes, to enhance the integrity of obstacle sports, to promote sportsmanship and civility in society. Coaches, trainers, officials, officers and all those associated with their programs and events should adhere to the fundamental values of respect, fairness, civility, honesty and responsibility. The Entourage must respect and promote ethical principles, including those contained in the World Obstacle Codes of Ethics and the WADA Code. Download the Athlete and Entourage Conduct Guidelines below for details.

Anti-Doping

FISO has adopted the  World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code and World Obstacle Anti-Doping Rules are implemented to advance FISO’s continuing efforts to prevent doping in Obstacle Course Racing. All athletes competing in OCRWC23 are required to complete the WADA Anti-Doping e-Learning (ADeL) talented athlete education programme and provide the certificate of completion prior to competing. ADeL is proved free of charge. Register and complete the programme on the WADA ADeL website, then download your completion certificate and upload during race registration, or show at packet-pick up with your photo ID. Instructions for creating an account:

  • Register on the ADeL platform (green button, top right)
  • In the Language field select your preferred language (you will enter your native language later)
  • In the Role, field select “Athletes”
  • In the Sport field select “Obstacle Sports”
  • In the Level in sport (Athlete) field select “International-level athlete (competing internationally – Major Games)
  • In the Discipline field, type “OCR”

The WADA prohibited substances and methods list are available for download from the World Obstacle Anti-doping page.

Results & Records

Results will be provided for all age categories in all events. National, Continental and World  Records can be set in all age groups for the 100m. Absolute World Records (better than 27.12 seconds for men and 39.42 seconds for women) may qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records.

EVENT & CATEGORY DETAILS

EVENT FORMATS AND COMPETITION CATEGORIES

EVENTS

100M – SPRINT

The Sprint Course is 12 standardized obstacles evenly spaced along a 2-lane 100m linear (straight line) course. Watch the following videos to see a demonstration, race in slow motion, women’s world record run and men’s world record run. Categories are for men and women in all age groups. Each country can nominate up to one athlete in Youth, Junior, Masters and Para and three athletes in Elite: 7 men, and 7 women. Additional slots may be allocated subject to availability. Minimum age to compete is 10 years old on race day.

3K – SHORT COURSE

The Short Course is a 3 km (+/-) cross country style race with 20 obstacles. The race format and obstacles are similar to OCREC 2022 watch the video. Categories are for men and women in all age groups. Minimum age to compete is 10 years old on race day. Minimum age to compete is 10 years old on race day.

15K – STANDARD COURSE

The Standard Course is a 15 km (+/-) cross country style race with up to 50 obstacles. The race format and obstacles are similar to the short course at the OCREC 2022, watch the video. Categories are for men and women in Elite, Para, Junior, Senior, and Masters to the oldest competitor. Minimum age to compete is 16 (born in 2007).

3K TEAM RACE

The Team Race is on the 3 km (+/-) Short Course for teams of three athletes. Athletes on a team must stay together and may assist each other through obstacles. Some obstacles require teammates to work together to overcome the obstacle.  The race format and obstacles are similar to the team race at the OCREC 2022, watch the video. Each National Federation can only nominate one team per category in Elite (at least one woman or at least one man), Women, Men, and Para (one woman, one man and at least one para athlete of either gender). Minimum age to compete is 10 years old on race day.

Age Definition

Age group category for Youth athletes is the age of the athlete on race day. Age group category for Junior, Senior and Masters athletes is the age you are on December 31st, 2023 (the age you turn this year).

COMPETITION CATEGORIES

Youth

Athletes on a national team qualified by their national federation in the following age categories: 10/11, 12/13, 14/15

Junior

Athletes on a national team qualified by their national federation in the following age categories: 16/17, 18/19

Senior

Athletes on a national team qualified by their national federation in the following age groups: 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39

Masters

Athletes on a national team qualified by their national federation in the following age groups: 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, etc. to the oldest athlete.

Elite

Elite athletes on a national team qualified by their national federation. Elite athletes must be the minimum age allowed for each event, for example minimum Elite age for the 15K is 16 years old and minimum Elite age for the 100m is 10 years old.

PARA

National Federations decide on the qualification criteria for their para-athletes and can opt for a qualification-based system or direct selection. Para Athletes race in Para categories, not age categories. Para athletes must follow these steps to register:

Open (Journeyman)

A limited number of Open (non-competitive) waves will be provided (no qualification required), however priority is given to athletes in Elite and age group categories representing their national federations.

FISO OCRWC23 PARTNERS

Event Hosts and Partners

HOSTS

PARTNERS

 

Downloads

Athlete and Entourage Conduct Guidelines (pdf) Download Eligibility to Compete (pdf) Download OCRWC23 Competition Rules (pdf) Download
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