Aeronautical pentathlon is a

sporting event Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, t ...

at some

multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of interna ...

s, such as the Military World Games. Despite the name, the sport has six events:

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles ...

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...

, orienteering,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

skills,

obstacle course An obstacle course is a series of challenging physical obstacles an individual, team or animal must navigate, usually while being timed. Obstacle courses can include running, climbing, jumping, crawling, swimming, and balancing elements with th ...

and

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

. The idea is to prepare air force officers for evading enemy soldiers. It is generally only participated by military

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

s, and its first appearance at the Military World Games was in 2010. The sports are said to represent various aspects of flying, such as shooting and basketball for hand-eye coordination and fencing for combat. There is also a flying contest included where the competitors serve as navigators, but it is not scored. During the 1950s there were flying events in military aircraft included, such as precision navigation requiring the finish line to be crossed at an exact time. The sport was begun in 1948 and there are Military Aeronautical Pentathlon World Championships. Sweden has won the most titles.2011 Rio Games description

References

External links

International military sports council
* {{Military World Games Military sports Multisports Pentathlon