Modern pentathlon
Five-event Olympic sport / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event was first held in 1912, inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the ancient Olympics, and designed to model skills needed by a soldier of that time. As well as being an Olympic event, a world championship has been held annually since 1949.
Highest governing body | Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) |
---|---|
Characteristics | |
Contact | semi-contact |
Type | Fencing, swimming, show jumping, shooting, and running sport |
Presence | |
Olympic | Part of Summer Olympic programme since 1912 |
The rules of the modern pentathlon have changed several times over the years since its creation, including condensing the event down into a single day. The latest structure, as of the 2024 Olympics, consists of separate events for fencing, swimming, and equestrian, which earn the athletes points to determine each athlete's starting time in the final event. The last event, called the laser-run, alternates four legs of laser pistol shooting and running.
Modern pentathlon's inclusion in the Olympics has frequently been criticised for being obscure, unpopular, and complex. The 2028 Olympics initially removed modern pentathlon from its events, but it has been reinstated with a changed format in which obstacle racing replaces the equestrian event.
The governing body, Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), administers the international sport in more than 90 countries.