Phl to host 1st Asian Obstacle race
The Philippines Obstacle Sports Federation (POSF) will host the first Asian Obstacle Course Race Championships early next year at the Aseana City in Parañaque.
POSF president Alberto Agra said the group will stage a four-in-one event on Jan. 27-28, including the Asianwide obstacle course race and three general assemblies for the local association and the Obstacle Sports Federation Asia (OSFA).
“Training is very important. We want racers to be fully prepared because the obstacle courses are really difficult. The satisfaction and fulfillment of finishing the race bring pride to the athlete. It’s very sentimental,” said Agra during the event launch at the Solaire Resort and Casino recently.
A footrace that involves climbing ropes and over walls, carrying heavy objects, traversing bodies of water, crawling under barbed wire and jumping through fire, among others, obstacle racing require physically and mentally tough individuals who want to exceed their limits.
Over 1,500 racing enthusiasts from China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and Australia and the Philippines have been invited to the event which will feature the elite/pro and age-group/Open. A total of $4,500 in prizes will be at stake. Due to the growing interest in OCR, the POSF, a non-profit corporation accredited as the National Sports Association for OCR/ obstacle sports by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), has applied for recognition by the Philippine Olympic Committee.
He said the OSF is currently working for OCR’s inclusion in the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 2022 Asian Games in China and 2019 SEA Games in Manila. Initial discussions have been made for OCR to be an exhibition sport in the forthcoming SEA Games and to introduce the same at the university and city levels.