Universal Studios Beijing to Host UIPM 2026 Obstacle World Championships

Universal Studios Beijing will host The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne’s 2026 Obstacle World Championships (September 2—6) as part of the “Race Across China,” combining UIPM’s Pentathlon and Obstacle World Championships for the first time.

The world’s fastest ninja and obstacle racing specialists will compete for medals against the backdrop of The Universal Globe at Universal CityWalk Beijing (part of Universal Beijing Resort), giving spectators a chance to see stars of the sport up close.

The choice of a major theme park to host the second edition of UIPM’s Obstacle Racing showpiece came to life through a partnership between UIPM, Beijing Capital Tourism Group (BTG), Beijing Sports Bureau and the Chinese Modern Pentathlon Association (CMPA).

The UIPM 2026 Obstacle World Championships will be the second of four editions of the competition to be held in the Chinese capital, following last year’s opening installment at Beijing’s National Olympic Sports Center. The action in Beijing will start immediately after the Finals of the UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Championships in Guiyang.

Athletes such as Luke and Kai Beckstrand (United States) and Katarzyna Jonaczyk (Poland) will return alongside pentathletes who have excelled in obstacle racing, such as world record-holders Mohamed El Ashqar (Egypt) and Florina Jurt (Switzerland), who will be coming fresh from the Pentathlon World Championships.

Obstacle Racing Formats

Across five days of elite competition, international obstacle specialists will race in the 100m, 400m and 3km individual events, a new 4x100m relay, and a refreshed 3km Team format. In addition, thousands of age-group competitors will get the chance to test their obstacle racing prowess in open categories.

Universal Beijing Resort is one of multiple global Universal theme parks owned by NBCUniversal, with the original Universal Studios in the United States on the list of venues for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Summer Games. This is where obstacle racing will make its Olympic debut as part of a reimagined Modern Pentathlon in the Valley Zone.

“This is a momentous announcement for UIPM, for the global obstacle sports community that our Federation now governs, and for the Chinese tourism authorities who have bought into our exciting vision,” said UIPM President Rob Stull. “On behalf of the UIPM Executive Board, I would like to thank BTG Group, led by Chairman Mr Bai Fan, our colleagues and friends at the Beijing Sports Bureau, and everyone at the CMPA, led by President Bin Zhang. Thank you for once again opening your arms to our global community.

“Universal Studios Beijing is going to be the most extraordinary venue for our 2nd UIPM Obstacle World Championships. Even after one year of this pioneering competition, we are charting a path from the past to the future, as we move from a traditional Olympic Stadium venue to a completely new hosting concept in a major Theme Park resort. I can promise the people of China and international visitors to Universal Studios that what they will see in Beijing in September will be unlike anything they’ve seen before.”

In February, it was also announced that Kitty Chiller had been appointed as the first vice president of UIPM, making her the highest-ranking elected female in the union’s history. She assumed the role vacated by International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, who stepped down from the executive board at the end of 2024.