The modern pentathlon is an
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
sport consisting of
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, s ...
(one-touch épée),
freestyle swimming
Freestyle is a category of swimming competition, defined by the rules of the International Swimming Federation (FINA), in which competitors are subject to a few limited restrictions on their swimming stroke. Freestyle races are the most commo ...
,
equestrian show jumping,
pistol shooting
Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms ( firearms and airguns, in forms suc ...
, and
cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...
. The event is inspired by the
traditional pentathlon held during the ancient Olympics. The modern pentathlon was first held in 1912, and its rules have changed several times over the years. The latest structure, as of the
2020 Olympics, consists of three separate events for fencing, swimming, and equestrian, which determine each athlete's starting time in the final event. The last event, called the
laser-run
Laser-run (also known as laser run) is a multisport competition consisting of running and shooting. It is a sport in its own right and the last event of the modern pentathlon where it was formerly known as combined.
Distance and format
Laser-ru ...
, alternates four legs of laser pistol shooting followed by an 800 m run (for 3200 m in total).
The sport has been a feature of the Summer Olympic Games since 1912, despite several attempts to remove it. A world championships for modern pentathlon has been held annually since 1949.
The governing body,
Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne
The ''Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne'' ( en, International Modern Pentathlon Union), commonly known by the acronym UIPM, has been the international governing body of modern pentathlon since its foundation in London in 1948. Its hea ...
(UIPM), administers the international sport in more than 90 countries.
Format
The format of the modern pentathlon has changed frequently through the sport's history. Described below is the format used in the
Tokyo 2020 Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...
:
* Fencing: Two rounds of fencing are done, both with electric
épées. In the first round, each athlete fences against each other athlete in a bout lasting one minute or until the first hit; if a bout goes to time both athletes are marked as losing it. More points are scored for each victory – for example, an athlete who wins 70 percent of their bouts receives 250 points. In the second round (
seeded by results in the first round), the time limit is reduced to 45 seconds, and losing a bout eliminates them from this round. Again, points are scored for winning each bout.
* Swimming: This is a single 200 meter
freestyle swim. A time of 2 minutes 30 seconds scores 250 points, with faster times scoring more and slower times less.
* Riding: Athletes attempt a
show-jumping
Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ...
course with 12 obstacles. Athletes do not bring a horse to the event; they are assigned an unfamiliar horse and have 20 minutes to practice with the animal.
[This unusual skill — the riding of a random horse — is also used for example in the ]United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
for college equestrian team competitions and in club IEA horse back riding. Completing the course scores 300 points with points deducted for penalties.
* Combined running and shooting: At this final event, athletes' starting times are determined by their total scores from the first three events. The highest scorer starts first. Each successive athlete then starts with a delay of one second for each point by which they trail the leader. Athletes run 3200 meters, stopping four times to shoot at targets with a laser pistol. Each round, they must remain at the target until scoring five hits (with an unlimited number of shots) or until 50 seconds have elapsed. Final placement in the overall modern pentathlon is determined by order across the finish line.
File:Sgt. Samantha Schultz at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games modern pentathlon (51383000290).jpg, Fencing
File:Sgt. Nathan Schrimsher swims at Rio Games (29036132652).jpg, Swimming
File:Final do pentatlo moderno dos Jogos Olímpicos Rio 2016 (29018543171).jpg, Riding
File:Sgt. Nathan Schrimsher competes in Modern Pentathlon at Rio Olympic Games photos by Tim Hipps, IMCOM Public Affairs (28546133194).jpg, Shooting
File:Sgt. Samantha Schultz at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games modern pentathlonSgt. Samantha Schultz at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games modern pentathlon (51381996711).jpg, Running
History
Creation
Most sources state that the creator of the modern pentathlon was Baron
, the founder of the
modern Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
.
However, researcher Sandra Heck concluded that
Viktor Balck
Viktor Gustaf Balck KVO KCMG (25 April 1844 – 31 May 1928) was a Swedish Army officer and sports personality who was one of the original members of the International Olympic Committee, president of the International Skating Union for 30 year ...
, the President of the Organizing Committee for the 1912 Games, made use of the long tradition of Swedish military multi-sports events to create the modern pentathlon.
The name derives from the Greek ''péntathlon'' "contest of five events".
The addition of ''modern'' to the name distinguishes it from the
original pentathlon of the
ancient Olympic Games
The ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακοὶ ἀγῶνες; la, Olympia, neuter plural: "the Olympics") were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states and were one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. ...
, which consisted of the
''stadion'' foot race,
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
,
long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
,
javelin
A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...
, and
discus. As the events of the ancient pentathlon were modeled after the skills of the ideal soldier to defend a fortification of that time, Coubertin created the contest to simulate the experience of a 19th-century
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
soldier behind enemy lines: he must ride an unfamiliar horse, fight enemies with pistol and sword, swim, and run to return to his own soldiers.
Originally, only amateur competitors, i.e. upper-class cavalry officers, were allowed to compete in the modern pentathlon at the Olympics. In the 1912 Games, as only amateur officers competed, the competitors were permitted to use their own horses. Up to the 1952 Olympics the ordinary cavalry soldier was considered a
professional athlete
In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...
, as he was riding and training horses for a living, and as such unable to participate, while the officer was considered the
amateur
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
and therefore allowed to compete.
Olympic Games
The event was first held at the
1912 Olympic Games and has been on the Olympic program continuously since 1912. Modern pentathlon, despite its long Olympic history, has had to justify its inclusion in the modern Olympic Games several times. On February 11, 2013, in Lausanne, the IOC confirmed modern pentathlon once again as one of the 25 core sports of the Olympic program through to 2020.
A team event was added to the Olympic Games
in 1952 and discontinued
in 1992. An event for women was added to the Olympic Games
in 2000.
Originally, the competition took place over four or five days.
In 1996, a one-day format was adopted in an effort to be more audience-friendly.
To enhance the experience for spectators, the UIPM proposed that all five events should be held in a single venue. This was planned for the
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
but held for the first time at the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
. For the
2024 Summer Olympics
The 2024 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 2024), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la XXXIIIe Olympiade, links=no) and also known as Paris 2024, is an upcoming international multi-sport event that is s ...
, a condensed format of 90 minutes with eliminations is planned.
Modern pentathlon is also part of the
Youth Olympic Games
The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is an international multi-sport event for athletes between 15 and 18 years old, organized by the International Olympic Committee. The games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consiste ...
since 2010.
Governance
As long as there was no official international federation for Modern Pentathlon an IOC committee was set up for the sport making use of the expertise of IOC members. The governing body,
Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne
The ''Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne'' ( en, International Modern Pentathlon Union), commonly known by the acronym UIPM, has been the international governing body of modern pentathlon since its foundation in London in 1948. Its hea ...
(UIPM) was founded in 1948.
International competitions
A
world championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
has been held every year since 1949. The competitions include men and women's individual and team events together with relay events for men and women and, since 2010, a mixed relay event.
After much lobby work of the president of the German Modern Pentathlon Federation, Wilhelm Henze, women were for the first time admitted at the world championships in 1977, and at the official world championships in 1981.
The Modern Pentathlon World Cup is an annual series of modern pentathlon competitions. The first was held in 1999.
Format changes over time
Modern pentathlon has been the subject of numerous changes since its creation.
Fencing
In 2015 — and for the first time in the 2016 Summer Olympics — a system of an additional bonus round was added to épée fencing in international competitions. Before that, there was only the round-robin format.
Swimming
Until the 2000 Olympics, the distance for swimming was 300 metres; at that time it was changed to 200 metres.
Riding
The distance of the cross-country riding event was reduced from 5 km to 4 km in 1972. For the
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
cross-country riding was changed to show jumping.
Shooting and running
From 1912 to 1988
regular pistols or later
sport pistols were used for shooting. From 1989 until 2009, the shooting discipline involved firing a 4.5 mm (
.177 cal)
air pistol
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
in the standing position from 10 metres distance at a stationary target. The format was that of the
10 metre air pistol
The 10 meter air pistol is an Olympic shooting event governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). It is similar to 10 meter air rifle in that it is shot with 4.5 mm (or .177) caliber air guns at a distance of 10 m ...
competition: each competitor had 20 shots, with 40 seconds allowed for each shot. Beginning with the World Cup events in 2011,
laser pistols were used instead of pistols with actual projectiles.
There is a slight delay between the trigger pull and the laser firing, simulating the time it would take for a pellet to clear the muzzle.
Air pistols with laser transmitters were introduced during the transitional period and are still in use.
Purpose-built laser pistols are developed and commonly used since the middle of the 2010s. Laser pistols and targets have to be homologated by the UIPM.
Until the
2000 Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
, the running distance was 4 kilometres.
The running discipline was shortened to a 3 km
cross-country run afterwards.
In 2009, the running and shooting events were combined into three 1000 m laps with each preceded by laser shooting at five targets in 70 seconds or less.
From the start of the 2013 season, the laser-run was changed to consist of four 800 m laps (increasing the distance to 3.2 kilometres) each preceded by laser shooting at five targets in 50 seconds or less. This change was intended to restore some of the importance of the shooting skill felt to have been lost in the original 2009 combined event.
Overall scoring and operation
Scoring was originally done by a points-for-place system with the lowest score winning. Since the 1954 World Cup points tables are used for each of the five events and points are added for the final score. This scoring was first used in the
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...
.
The five disciplines were held on a single day — instead of four to six — from the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
onwards.
Proposed replacement of riding
The riding discipline attracted criticism during the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
after multiple athletes in the
women's event struggled to control their randomly-assigned horses.
This culminated in the German team's coach,
Kim Raisner, being removed from the event after striking a horse with her fist.
Following the Games, in November 2021 it was reported that the UIPM was opening consultations on the proposed replacement of riding with another discipline.
The decision was ratified during the UIPM's congress on 27 November 2021, with the changes intended to be implemented for the
2028 Summer Olympics
The 2028 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, also known as Los Angeles 2028 or LA28) is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from July 14 to July 30, 2028, in and around Los Angeles, Cali ...
.
The decision was met with criticism from various athletes and bodies, who considered riding to be integral to Modern pentathlon. Some also accused the UIPM of hindering debate in favour of riding during the congress.
More than 650 modern pentathletes signed a letter calling for the UIPM executive board to resign. A group known as "Pentathlon United" called for the IOC to investigate the UIPM's governance, and proposed a plan to maintain riding with rule changes to bring them in line with those of the
International Federation for Equestrian Sports
The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (, FEI) is the international governing body of equestrian sports.
The FEI headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland. An FEI code of conduct protects the welfare of the horses from physical abu ...
(FEI), and a focus on
animal welfare
Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...
.
In May 2022, the UIPM announced it would hold an
obstacle racing
Obstacle course racing (OCR) is a sport in which a competitor, traveling on foot, must overcome various physical challenges in the form of obstacles. Races vary in length from courses with obstacles close together to events of several kilometers ...
test event alongside the 2022 Modern Pentathlon World Cup final in
Ankara
Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
, citing that it had received the most support out of the over 60 disciplines proposed, was more cost-effective, would help make the event more attractive to a younger audience, and was "compatible with the DNA of modern pentathlon." The competition course was developed with input from
World Obstacle
World Obstacle, institutional name ''Fédération Internationale de Sports d’Obstacles'' ''(FISO)'', is the international governing body for obstacle sports and related events. Disciplines include Ninja (similar to American Ninja Warrior), Obsta ...
, and the event featured a mix of athletes from both the obstacle racing and modern pentathlon communities.
Criticism
Modern pentathlon's inclusion in the Summer Olympics has frequently been criticised for being obscure, unpopular, and complex, especially as the IOC limits each Summer Olympics to 28 disciplines.
The switch to a one-day format in the 1990s was criticised for changing the steady character of modern pentathlon to a more fast-paced competition.
The laser-run has been criticized as altering too radically the nature of the skills required. ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' asked whether the name ought to be changed to "tetrathlon" given that two of the five disciplines had been combined into a single event.
See also
*
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words ''pente'' (five) and -''athlon'' (competition) ( gr, πένταθλον). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of t ...
*
List of Olympic medalists in modern pentathlon
*
Modern pentathlon at the Summer Olympics
Modern pentathlon is a sport contested at the Summer Olympic Games.
History Development as an Olympic sport
Modern pentathlon was created by the founder of the modern Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and was first contested in 1912. Cou ...
*
World Modern Pentathlon Championships
The UIPM Senior World Championships is an annual global international competition in modern pentathlon. It was first held in 1949 under the organization of the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM).
Editions
Note: The years in which champ ...
References
;Notes
External links
Lasers make modern pentathlon more modern
{{Authority control
Multisports
Summer Olympic sports
Individual sports
Fencing
Cross country running
Shooting sports
Show jumping
Swimming
Military sports
Pentathlon