New ‘Ninja Warrior’ sport to debut at LA 2028 Olympics

As Brisbane announced its plans for the 2032 Olympics this week, Aussies are getting a taste of a new sport set to enter the Games.

Brisbane’s plans for the 2032 Olympics were officially announced this week, and this weekend Aussies will get their chance to try a new sport that will feature at the next Olympics.

Modern pentathlon is one of the most unique sports in the Olympics, featuring five sports designed to test the traditional skills of an ancient soldier: pistol shooting, fencing, 200m freestyle swimming, show jumping and a 3.2km cross country run.

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Australia’s Chloe Esposito won gold in the modern pentathlon at the Rio 2016 Olympics, but the sport that has been part of the Olympics since 1912 will undergo a major shift.

The International Olympic Committee has changed the format of modern pentathlon, with the equestrian component being ditched following a series of animal welfare concerns.

At the Tokyo Olympics, a German coach was thrown out of the Games for punching a horse after it struggled to bond with the athlete during the 20-minute period before competition.

The IOC has voted to replace equestrian with obstacle racing in modern pentathlon, and the Ninja Warrior-style event will make its debut at the LA 2028 Olympics.

The IOC hasn’t been afraid to tweak the Olympic program in recent times, conscious of maintaining interest from young athletes and sports fans.

Breakdancing isn’t returning to the Olympics after Paris, but flag football, squad, lacrosses, baseball/softball and T20 cricket will have medals up for grabs in LA.

Aussies who fancy their chances at being monkey bar magicians or who just want to have a go can try their hand at an obstacle course, can do so with Australia’s new high-energy sports event YOHKA, at the AusFitness Expo.

This weekend YOHKA is running events in Penrith and at the AusFitness Expo including three different activities — ultimate tag, 100m Ninja Warrior battles and the 5km obstacle course.

“At the AusFitnessExpo we’re showcasing the 100m obstacle race, we’re calling it the YOHKA sprint series,” YOHKA CEO and brand manager Todd Liubinskas told news.com.au.

“It gives people a really good flavour, if you want to go into the Olympics in 2028, this is a taste of that. And have a lot of fun.

“This is probably the toughest 100 metres most people will ever do. 100 metres may not sound like much, but with 12 gruelling obstacles designed to test your speed, agility and power, many will be humbled.

YOHKA is an obstacle course similar to what will be part of the Olympic modern pentathlon. Photo: Supplied.

“It brings you back to your inner child. I think that’s the appeal of the Olympics. Kids can be out there practising on an apparatus and think, ‘Hey, I can actually do this and get to the Olympics It’s pretty cool.

“You can do it against a friend or in a group of four. If you think of a mini arena with a lot of music and hype around, that’s what we’re trying to do at the Expo. It’s going to be fun.”

So what type of athlete is suited to the obstacle course?

“A lot of people don’t realise that this sort of race, you may be fast and powerful to get up a ramp or a warped wall, but you might not be able to hold your body weight,” Liubinskas said.

“So actually getting yourself over some uneven rings, monkey rings or monkey bars, scaling a wall, going to try run up 15-foot wall, that’s different. You’ve got to have the all-round athlete that will do well in this.

“If you’re lightweight, can hold your body weight and got a bit of pace on you, then you’re probably in line to win the cash prize.”

It’s a Ninja Warrior style obstacle course. Photo: Supplied.

American Kai Beckstrand, a fan favourite in the US on Ninja Warrior, completed a 100m obstacle course at the Dubai World Obstacle Championships last December in 23.575 seconds.

Teenager Max Kulasin from Sydney is one youngster trying his hand at YOHKA.

“I have always loved obstacles, and running fast, I’m agile I love running around and obstacles and I wanted to try something new,” the 17-year-old said.

“Training for the event was different. It was my first time trying it so I didn’t actually train for it, but if I were to train for it I’d go to the park with some friends like I have before and play a game of tag, chuck in your own obstacles, dive over stuff, monkey stuff and just have fun.”

It’s dubbed as the hardest 100m you’ll ever do. Photo: Supplied.

With run clubs and group fitness booming in Australia, AusFitness Expo has something for everyone ranging from gym junkies to cardio kings and everything in between.

“Some of the biggest trends for 2025 are around group fitness experiences and fitness racing,” AusFitness Expo founder Shaun Krenz told news.com.au.

“Hyrox kind of exploded onto the scene last year. YOHKA is kind of a new innovative version of that that combines CrossFit, functional fitness and obstacle racing like you’d normally see at a Spartan race or a Tough Mudder.

Todd Liubinskas is hosting a fitness racing obstacles course event called YOHKA. Picture: John Appleyard

Max trying his hand at YOHKA. Photo: Supplied.

“The buzzword is hybrid. The real aspirational sort of training model the younger demographic is chasing these days is the combination of strength and endurance, which is being referenced as hybrid. I think YOHKA is a really good reflection of that.

“We run the national powerlifting championships, a crossfit games competition, a natural bodybuilding and sports modelling competition, which is the biggest of its kind, we do a strongman competition. There’s a kettlebell association and they run their national event at our Expo. Even random things like arm wrestling.

“It’s open to the general public. Absolutely anyone is welcome.”

YOHKA Royale is on in Sydney March 29-30 at the Penrith Regatta Centre. Sign up here.

The Aus Fitness Expo is on this weekend in Melbourne at the MCEC and in Sydney on September 19-21 at ICC Sydney. Get tickets here.

Originally published as New ‘Ninja Warrior’ sport to debut at LA 2028 Olympics