Event Recognition & Sanctioning.
Connecting an event to the national pathway
Independent race organisers can connect their events to the national development of obstacle sport at whatever level suits them. This page is the full explanation of what each status means and how to get one — other pages link here rather than repeating it.
The four statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Listed | An independently run event on the OCRA calendar. OCRA has not reviewed the competition. |
| OCRA Sanctioned | Reviewed against the standards for its level of competition. |
| OCRA Qualification Event | Results count towards qualification for a named international championship. |
| Irish National Championship | Irish titles are on the line, in the disciplines named on the listing. |
Only OCRA can grant the last three, and only in writing. A listing on the calendar creates none of them.
Listed events
A listed event stays entirely independent. Listing helps athletes find it, builds a more complete national calendar, and connects the organiser to the wider community.
It carries no sporting status. It does not mean OCRA has reviewed the competition, and it does not make results usable for international qualification.
Sanctioning
Organisers who want a formal sporting relationship apply for sanctioning, and OCRA reviews the event against the requirements appropriate to the status being sought.
What gets looked at depends on the race format, the level of competition, the athlete categories, the qualification status sought, Technical Official requirements, safety arrangements, and the applicable sporting rules. See Event Standards.
Qualification Event status
Where an international championship requires Irish qualification, only events approved by OCRA for that purpose count towards it.
Qualification status can be narrow — it may apply only to specific disciplines, categories, Age Groups, race distances or dates. Sanctioning an event does not make every race within it a qualification race.
Irish National Championship
OCRA runs National Championships directly or with an established organiser. An event wanting to host one applies and is reviewed, and the bar covers sporting integrity, competition management, Technical Officiating, safety, timing and results, athlete communication and rules compliance.
The review
Where sanctioning, qualification or championship status is requested, OCRA reviews the event first. That covers the format, course and obstacles, competition rules, athlete categories, Technical Officials, timing and results, safety arrangements, medical provision, emergency procedures, organiser experience and event capacity.
Approval and advertising it
Do not advertise an OCRA status until it is confirmed in writing. Once it is, the event can display the applicable badge.
Applying
Contact us with the details of the proposed event. Engage early where qualification or championship status is in play — these are not decisions that can be made well in the last few weeks before a race.