- Adamson (AUS) assumes new role as presidency of FISO enters last phase
- Commission Members from Great Britain, Italy, Philippines and United States
- New Commission was created by UIPM Congress in 2024
MONACO: April 16, 2026 – The Executive Board of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne has appointed a Chair and four Members to the UIPM Obstacle Commission.
Ian Adamson of Australia, Founding President of the Federation Internationale de Sports d’Obstacles (FISO), will chair the new Commission, which was voted into existence by the 73rd UIPM Congress in 2024 with the remit “to ensure that Obstacle sport is adequately developed and commercially exploited”.
In February 2026, FISO Members voted in favour of the dissolution of the organisation, paving the way for a full integration of Obstacle sports into UIPM, the sole International Olympic Committee-recognised International Federation governing the sport.
Serving alongside Ian Adamson will be four appointed UIPM Obstacle Commission Members who bring a wide variety of Ninja and Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) expertise: James Burton (Great Britain), Jennifer Miller (United States), Precious Que (Philippines) and Stefano Zappa (Italy). You can read more about them in the profiles section below.
UIPM Obstacle Commission Chair Ian Adamson said: “I am proud to chair the UIPM Obstacle Commission and to collaborate with the dedicated and experienced members who represent obstacle sports and their communities globally.
“Integrating obstacle racing and Ninja-style competitions into the Olympic movement alongside Modern Pentathlon, with its rich century-long history, opens up exciting new opportunities for participants, spectators, and viewers at all levels.”
UIPM President Rob Stull said: “The appointment of five outstanding individuals to our first-ever Obstacle Commission by the UIPM Executive Board is another important milestone on our road to full integration of obstacle sports under the UIPM umbrella.
“This Commission is made up of individuals who are experts in their various disciplines and they are all dedicated to the creation of a stronger Union right across our multisport portfolio. I can’t wait to see what this Commission achieves.”
PROFILES
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Ian Adamson (AUS)
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- Founding President of FISO; Executive Board Member of USA Pentathlon Multisport and USA Ninja Association.
- MSc in Sports Medicine and BSc in Engineering; legal forensic expert in sport and recreation.
- Guest lecturer at leading institutions, including CU Boulder, CU Colorado Springs, University of Denver, Arizona State, University of San Francisco, Cal Poly, and AISTS.
- Elite athlete: 3× X Games medalist, 11× World Champion, 6× Guinness World Records holder.
- Professional experience in international event and TV production (1999–2025), product development at Newton Running (2007–2014), and biomedical engineering management.
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James Burton (GBR)
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- OCR and Ninja athlete since 2013, with participation in over 250 competitions across 25+ countries; former elite athlete (Top 20 at World Championships) and current age group world-level competitor, including 2018 AG World Champion and 2024 World Championship bronze medallist.
- President and Board Member of British Obstacle Sports since 2021; Board Member of Pentathlon GB since 2023, including service as Interim CEO and participation in the 2024 UIPM Congress.
- Member of the UIPM Obstacle Taskforce and Chair of the FISO Integration Working Group.
- Over 20 years of experience in marketing within global agencies; currently Managing Director at Household.
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Jennifer Miller (USA)
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- Bachelor’s degree in Education (Linguistics), with K–6 teaching certification; extensive experience in curriculum development and teaching across Pre-K to Grade 12.
- Development Chair at USA Ninja Challenge; Co-Owner and Executive Manager of Federation of International Ninja Athletics.
- Head Trainer and creator of the WO Ninja Technical Officials Programme.
- Co-Chair of the WO Ninja Standing Committee (transitioning into the UIPM Ninja Working Group).
- Creator of the Ninja Information Module for UIPM.
- Member of the UIPM Obstacle Task Force and Integration Team.
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Stefano Zappa (ITA)
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- President of the European Obstacle Sports Federation since 2021 (currently serving a second term); Chair of the FISO OCR Standing Committee since 2024; Executive Board Member of the Italian OCR Federation since 2022.
- Bachelor’s degree in information technology engineering; progression within OCR as athlete (2015), technical official (2016), and coach (2018).
- Extensive international event leadership experience, including roles as Competitions Director and 100m/400m Race Director across OCR European Championships (2022–2025) and FISO-UIPM OCR World Championships (2023–2024).
- Race Advisor for the Spartan Race 100m World Championships (2024) and 100m Race Director for the Dubai World Obstacle Championships.
- Event Producer for OCR European Championships (since 2022) and Ninja European Championships (from 2025).
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Precious Que (PHI)
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- Secretary General of the Pilipinas Obstacle Sports Federation and National Coach for Obstacle Sports, with over four years of experience in high-performance programme delivery.
- Leads the development and implementation of training programmes for Ninja and OCR national teams, with a focus on athlete progression and international performance outcomes; actively contributes to coach education across the Asia-Pacific region.
- Certified World Obstacle Coach, Certified World Athletics Coach, and Certified Ninja Coach under the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association.
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