Governing body confident of modern pentathlon's future as IOC decision looms

BENGALURU : Modern pentathlon is confident about its Olympic future beyond next year's Paris Games having evolved into a more inclusive and dynamic sport by replacing horse riding with obstacle racing, the head of governing body UIPM told Reuters on Friday.

The sport which traditionally featured fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting and cross country running, has been part of the Games since 1912 but was left out of an initial list for Los Angeles 2028 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Having endured heavy criticism after a German coach struck a horse that refused to jump a fence at the Tokyo Games, the UIPM axed riding and voted to replace it with obstacle racing last year in a move criticised by traditionalists within the sport.

But UIPM President Klaus Schormann believes obstacle racing will open up modern pentathlon to more athletes and that he had a "positive feeling" as the IOC prepares to decide the sport's Olympic fate in October.

"We clearly have this feeling that we will continue in the Olympic programme," Schormann told Reuters in a Zoom interview from the world championships in Bath, England. "We've presented all that the IOC has asked for.

"At the Under-19 world championships in Istanbul (in July) they had two observers who also interviewed the athletes. They could see the way in which we have prepared in a short time a world championships for the youth."

MASS EXODUS

The sport, created by modern Olympics founder Pierre de Coubertin, will continue in its old format in Paris but some athletes including reigning Olympic champion Joe Choong have suggested there could be a mass exodus after 2024.

"There are maybe some athletes based on their age or their career, who will finish. In every