The revolution had been underway since the last Tokyo Olympics. In fact, following accusations of abuse against the German Annika Schleu and especially her trainer, excluded from the Games for having hit a horse named Saint Boy, the International Federation of Modern Pentathlon was considering different options to develop this sport.
“Two variants of the obstacle course have been selected to be tested from more than 60 proposals for replacing the equestrian discipline in modern pentathlon”, indicates in a press release the UIPM which confirms that an obstacle course will be tested to replace the modern pentathlon riding event after the 2024 Paris Olympics.
No other details are given on the formats envisaged for this running race, which will be similar to an obstacle course, but it will be possible to get an idea of it very quickly since “the tests will begin immediately after the final of the 2022 UIPM Pentathlon World Cup in Ankara (TUR), end of June”. “After comprehensive testing, a final decision will be made by the UIPM Congress,” the federation said.
Modern pentathlon is not guaranteed its presence at the 2028 Olympics
This redesign of the fifth discipline of modern pentathlon alongside fencing, shooting, running and swimming, follows the scandal caused during the Tokyo Games by the Saint Boy affair, named after the horse that a German rider and her trainer had struck. The German Annika Schleu was then in the lead of the competition but had all the difficulty in the world to control her mount, drawn by lot as required by the rules from a list of horses made available by the organizers. A specificity raising questions of fairness between competitors.
For the time being, the modern pentathlon is not assured of its presence at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Like boxing and weightlifting, it is not on the list of the initial 28 Olympic sports in California.
But these sports could “potentially be included” on the Los Angeles program at the 2023 International Olympic Committee (IOC) session, if they give enough promise of reform, IOC President Thomas Bach explained in December.
