What is Obstacle Sports Canada (OSC)?

Obstacle Sports Canada (OSC) is a registered non-profit organization seeking to become the official governing body for Obstacle Course Racing in Canada. As such, we will manage athlete development programs, and provide coaching certification opportunities, as well as race director education.

How is the OSC governed?

OSC is governed by a volunteer board currently made up of obstacle race enthusiasts, athletes, medical practitioners and race directors from across Canada. Board members will serve a two-year term and can be nominated by members prior to an election.  A slate of Board Members (current and present) will be circulated to the membership four weeks prior to each AGM and voted on by proxy, or at the AGM annually.

Are OSC board members paid?

As a not-for-profit organization, all Board Members are volunteers and will not receive payments. Board Members will be entitled to be reimbursed for expenses, as long as the expenses are preapproved by the Board.

What are OSC’s goals?

Obstacle Sports Canada (OSC) is committed to securing the sustainability and growth of obstacle course racing, Ninja and hybrid racing in Canada. OSC is dedicated to creating an athlete and coaching pathway that will encourage grassroots participation, develop high-performance programs and ensure long-term competition opportunities for age-group athletes.

The OSC Board would like to see the inclusion of obstacle course racing in national and international sporting competitions (games)

Who does OSC support?

OSC’s sole purpose is to support the members and the growth of the sport at a grassroots level through to high performance.

What is OSCs short-term plan?

OSC’s short-term plan is to apply for Sport Canada Recognition and become the official governing body of obstacle course racing in Canada.  he application process includes:

• Creation of athlete, coach, & official long-term development plans
• Writing accessibility, gender equality, harassment, code of conduct, membership, dispute resolution and privacy policies
• Creating guidelines for obstacle safety, medical and race operations
• Enrollment of 5,000 paying members
• Setup eight (8) Provincial Sports Organisations (PSO)
• Ensure the application meets all of the standard requirements to be acceptable to Sport Canada.

What is OSCs long-term plan?

OSC will also support the International Federation as a member national federation in it’s goal of meeting the requirements for recognition as specified by SportAccord and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

What is a National Sport Organization (NSO)?

A NSO is the governing body for a specific sport. Most sports today, whether they have a professional division or operate at an amateur level only are represented by not-for-profit NSOs in Canada. Examples include Hockey, Basketball, Triathlon, Quiddich (yes Quiddich), Gymnastics, Speed Skating, and Alpine Skiing to name a few. 

What does an NSO do?

All certified NSOs support the development of their sport in Canada which includes athlete, coaching and official development.

Is OSC affiliated with Spartan, Mud Hero or another race brand in Canada?

No. Although we have Board Members and advisors that are affiliated with one or several of the OCR brands, OSC is an independent, not-for-profit organization. OSC has not accepted any funds from race organizations and has no immediate plans to do so in the foreseeable future.

Will the OSC force race brands to adhere to strict guidelines?

When it comes to safety, it is our goal that race directors from across Canada will adhere to a standard set of safety & medical guidelines that benefits all athletes. When it comes to obstacles and race formats though, the race organisations will continue to operate and innovate new obstacles and race formats as they do today.

There will need to be guidelines in place for regional and national championships, however, that is a long-term strategy for OCR on our way to official participation in international and games competitions.

Is OSC affiliated with any international organizations?

Yes, along with over 90 other national federations, OSC is a member of World Obstacle also known as the Federation International Sports Obstacle (FISO), a Swiss not-for-profit organisation seeking international recognition as the world governing body for obstacle sports. The FISO’s goal is to govern the sport similar to World Aquatics which consists of swiming, diving, waterpolo and artistic swiming.

What if FISO does not become the recognised body by the IOC?

As the national governing body in Canada, OSC will ultimately adhere to the guidelines put in place by the world governing body, regardless of what organisation is successful leading the charge.

What will the sport look like in 10 years?

As a relatively new sport, OSC hopes that the future of obstacle racing continues to include the things we love today – an innovative sport that is inclusive of all abilities and ages and continues to have a thriving support community. OSC would love to see obstacle training programs offered across the country at the elementary, youth, and adult levels that either feed into competitive streams, or guarantee that people are active for lif