Understand
Clayton-le-Moors approved for specialist Olympic obstacle training facility
Overview
Hyndburn Borough Council has granted planning permission for a specialist obstacle course at Wilsons Playing Fields in Clayton-le-Moors, Lancashire, to support the modern pentathlon's new obstacle racing discipline. The steel-framed training rig, believed to be the only one of its kind north of Bath, will be built inside the athletics track at the Whalley Road sports complex following the replacement of horse riding with obstacle racing for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Key points
- Hyndburn Borough Council approved plans for a specialist obstacle course at Wilsons Playing Fields in Clayton-le-Moors, Lancashire.
- The facility is designed to support obstacle racing, a new discipline introduced to the modern pentathlon for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
- Application documents indicate the steel-framed training rig is the only one of its kind north of Bath in the UK.
- The structure will measure approximately 10.5m long, 6.5m wide, and up to 4m high, enclosed within a 272 sq m fenced compound.
- Modern pentathlon now consists of fencing, swimming, obstacle racing, and a laser run combining running and shooting.
- No objections were raised by statutory consultees such as Sport England and council ecology officers, nor by local residents.