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When I first heard adventure racing mentioned in the same sentence as the Olympics I thought, "what a far-fetched idea." To me, the Olympics meant watching athletes who swam countless hours in the pool, ran endless intervals on the track, or spent their childhood in a gymnasium listening to a coach with an eastern European accent barking out commands — all in the glorious attempt to become the next beaming smile on the cover of a box of Wheaties.

On the surface, the Olympics have become an embellished global behemoth, an overstated corporate advertisement with an accompanying television show as dramatic (or comic, depending on your perspective) as any Hollywood sporting production.

But the true essence of the Olympics is a blending of sport and culture, promoting international goodwill in the pursuit of individual and team excellence on a world stage. For more than 100 years, the Olympic movement has promoted awareness, human development, international education and peace through sport. Has the Raid Gauloises and its numerous spin offs done any less?

How can (or why should) a sport whose very essence is adventure that defies standardization become a part of the corporate conglomerate that is the Olympics? What would the benefits be?

Adventure racing is one of the world's fastest growing sports, exploding from 80 competitions in 1999 to more than 350 worldwide in 2000 with racing aspirants growing exponentially.

The Olympics would mean instant recognition, corporate sponsorship and the ability for the truly finest in the sport to have a chance to pursue their sport and passion full-time as do many of their peers in related sports, such as triathlon.

If the definition of adventure is to be courageous, to accept the unknown, what would a governing body provide besides statues and binding regulations?

The pool of paid professional adventure racers is minimal and certainly no one is supporting a mortgage payment off winnings or sponsorship endorsements. Eco-Internet, the dominant team on the international stage for the past five years and winners of every major expedition race, still labors to find appropriate funding every year. Every member of the team makes a living outside of the sport in traditional occupations as diverse as a software company executive, school teacher and firefighter.

Olympic credibility would also help the masses of the growing adventure racing population in their elusive pursuit of sponsorship equipment and dollars. The development of AR through television and sponsorship would be instrumental in getting exposure and financial backing for race organizers to offset the exorbitant costs to stage AR events.

Yet the drawbacks could threaten the very soul of a sport whose core persona is that of a team of individuals attempting a potentially hazardous undertaking or exciting experience. If the definition of adventure is to be courageous, to accept the unknown, what would a governing body provide besides statues and binding regulations?

To meet the stringent requirements of the IOC, adventure racing would require a governing body or an International Sports Federation (IF). IFs are responsible for the integrity of their sport on the international level. IFs establish the playing rules and safety standards, set the schedule, select officials to run the event at both the Olympic and international level. A sanctioned AR-IF could finally resolve many of the international scheduling conflicts and establish safety standards that ensure the well-being of athletes. A sanctioning body could ensure the viability of solid events, assist developing races and root out race promoters who are unqualified to stage events.

Finally, the Olympics could answer the issue of a definitive world championship. Seeing an Olympic winter and summer adventure race would stimulate all of the above and secure longevity for the sport.

Adventure racing is a noble sport that has been trivialized by actions of the very organizers who stage the major events...

Who wouldn't love to see the best go head-to-head without having to witness the soap opera of a group of under-trained, unqualified weekend warriors in the middle a midlife crisis attempting to relive past glories as they fall apart the first day of a major expedition race, or the accompanying media frenzy surrounding a team of Playboy bunnies?

Not to take anything from the multitudes of common men and women who have toed the line at the Raid, Eco, Elf, Southern Traverse or the Beast. But I pose this question: If some rabid hoops fan wanted to be like Mike, should s/he have been given a tryout with the Bulls? Of course not. Even entrants in the Ironman World Championship must qualify for the annual gathering of the kings and queens of Kona.

There will always be plenty of races that allow for the mere mortals to rub shoulders with the gods of the sport. A show about the fittest multi-sporters going head-to-head, with the strongest teams walking away with a gold, silver or bronze medal around their necks and the title of World Champion is something everyone wants to see and would inspire future generations of adventure racers.

The final question to ask: Will adventure racing ever be a part of the Olympics? That is a question that may never be answered. Adventure racing is a noble sport that has been trivialized by actions of the very organizers who stage the major events that inspired the masses in the first place.

The vaunted Eco-Challenge is the major claimant to the world title throne. It has the largest global audience and racing field. The name Eco-Challenge has become synonymous with the term adventure racing. But in a sport defined by the word teamwork, the Eco has done more to diminish this Olympic ideal than any other event. The event has made a habit of upstaging the competition by scheduling races head-to-head with competitors, and even scheduling a race on a rival's home turf weeks apart from the long-established, local event.

The rest of the world will always associate the Olympics as the definitive world championship.

In the Eco-Challenge's defense, its attempt to partner with established races to provide a qualifying system has met a stonewall by race directors who claim "purity to the sport" versus "selling out" to the one event that has given the sport international credibility in the first place.

While stating facts, the purpose of this editorial is not to chastise any one event or organizer, but to point out realities. Sports are businesses, look no further than the Olympics - in the end, the one who runs the best show will win.

Aside from the internal squabbles, the entry process to all the premier events is still a combination of reputation, luck (lottery), first pay, first come, invite only, and ultimately up to the subjective whim of the organizers.

In the trenches, the ideals of developing physical and moral qualities, educating through sport a spirit of better understanding between cultures and building friendships to ensure a more peaceful world, there is no finer example than two adventure racing teams from different countries speaking different languages yet navigating together to find that elusive checkpoint in the middle of the night.

The rest of the world will always associate the Olympics as the definitive world championship. The answer to the earlier question "will AR ever be a part of the Olympics?" will not be resolved until the respective organizers of the premier adventure racing events — the Raid Gauloises, the Southern Traverse, the Elf Authentic Adventure, the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest and yes, the Eco-Challenge — come together at the same table and put the sport ahead of personal agendas. Sadly, any discussion of adventure racing to be included in the Olympics is a debate that may never get to an IOC discussion board.

— Dan O'Shea, MountainZone.com Correspondent

O'Shea is a veteran of the Eco-Challenge, Raid Gauloises, Southern Traverse, Elf Authentic Adventure, Beast of the East, and consultant to the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest. O'Shea can be reached for comment at DanOSheaInc@aol.com.

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