Modern Pentathlon | Organization | Competitions | Events

The Pentathlon consisting of running the length of the stadium, jumping, throwing the spear, throwing the discus and wrestling was introduced for the first time at the 18th Olympiad in 708 BC, probably by the Spartans as a method of training soldiers. The Pentathlon held a position of unique importance in the Games and was considered to be the climax, with the winner ranked as "Victor Ludorum".

Admiration for the ancient Pentathlon was fully shared by the founder of the Modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and he expressed his support for the concept of Pentathlon most eloquently and forcefully in his Memoires Olympiques published in 1931.

From 1909, he tried to have the event re-introduced into the Olympic program and after two failed attempts, Pentathlon's moment came at the 14th session of the International Olympic Committee in Budapest (HUN) 1911, when as the Baron stated:

"the Holy Ghost of sport illuminated my colleagues and they accepted a competition to which I attach great importance"

The Modern Pentathlon
The Modern Pentathlon, introduced at the 5th Olympiad in Stockholm (SWE) 1912, comprised of the contemporary sports of pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running, embraced the spirit of its ancient counterpart. It was De Coubertin's belief that it would be the event, above all others, that "tested a man's moral qualities as much as his physical resources and skills, producing thereby the ideal, complete athlete.

The choice of the five diverse and unrelated sports that make up the Modern Pentathlon arose out of the romantic, tough adventures of a liaison officer whose horse is brought down in enemy territory. Having defended himself with his pistol and sword, he swims across a raging river and delivers the message on foot. Not surprisingly, it was the military who most enthusiastically adopted this new sport with its inherent demands of courage, coordination, physical fitness, self-discipline and flexibility in ever changing circumstances. A young American Lieutenant, later to be the famous 2nd World War General George S. Patton, was to finish fifth in the first ever Olympic Modern Pentathlon competition and for many years, the Modern Pentathlon was used as part of the final examinations at a number of European Military Academies. The mixture of physical and mental skills demanded in the Pentathlon has also meant that athletes have been able to compete in as many as three or four Olympic Games. This is because while running and swimming times can be expected to decline with age, experience and skill in the technical disciplines often increase.

The oldest Olympic gold medallist in the Modern Pentathlon to date is Pavel Lednev (former URS and current RUS) who was 37 years old at the 1980 Games in Moscow.

Today, both men and women complete all five events of the Modern Pentathlon in one day. Youth events are completed over two or exceptionally three days. A points system for each event is based on a standard performance earning 1,000 points. The winner is the Pentathlete who has accumulated the most points after the five events. At official UIPM competitions, there is some flexibility in the order of events, but the running must always be the final event.

Organization of Modern Pentathlon
Modern Pentathlon was administered directly by the IOC until 1948, when the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) was founded by Gustaf Dyrssen (1920 Olympic Champion) from Sweden as the first President and Sven Thofelt, Secretary General, and later to be President for 28 years (IOC Member 1970 - 1976).

In 1960, Biathlon (cross country skiing and rifle shooting) was introduced in the Olympic Program and joined the Union which thereafter became the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne and Biathlon (UIPMB). In 1993, an agreement was made to retain the Union as an umbrella body under which the UIPM and the International Biathlon (IBU) could act autonomously. The UIPMB, however, continued to be the only international multi-sport organization recognized by the IOC.

Until 1998, the President of Modern Pentathlon acted as President of the Union during the two years prior to the Summer Games, and the President of the Biathlon acted as such for two years prior to each of the Winter Games. At this moment, there are over 90 National Modern Pentathlon Federations affiliated with UIPM and more than 40 affiliated with IBU.

Having matured into an organization capable of continuing on its own, the IBU decided on June 26, 1998, to exist autonomously. The separation from the UIPMB took effect on September 26, 1998, creating two distinct International Federations - the UIPM and the IBU, both of which are recognized by the IOC and GAISF. The two sports will continue to maintain relations in various aspects, including marketing.

Modern Pentathlon Competitions
Olympic Games
From 1912 to 1980 the Olympic Modern Pentathlon competition was held over five days with one event per day. Between 1984 and 1992, experiments with the format of the sport meant that the competition was held over four days with either running and shooting or swimming and shooting on the same day. There were individual medals awarded and Team medals decided by adding the three individual scores of Team members together.

For the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996, the competition was a one-day event in which 32 men who qualified via pre-Olympic competitions participated. Only individual medals were awarded. In 1998, the UIPM received approval for women to compete in the Sydney 2000 Olympics Games.

In Sydney 2000, 24 men and 24 women competed in the individual competition. For the first time in history, the Pentathlon venues were 96% sold out.

World Championships
World Championships for Men take place on each non-Olympic Year and for Women, Junior Men and Women, Youth A (boys and girls 17-18 years) and Men's Team Relay, annually.

Youth World Championships differ slightly in their format in that they do not include riding. A number of at least 96 Men and Women may compete at the World Championships, having achieved a qualifying standard. There are three elements to the World Championships:

• Semi-Finals for the Individual competition,
• Finals for the Individual competition, and
• Team Relay competition.

Athletes qualify for the Final via two or three Semi-Final groups of up to 32x athletes with ten promoted and the best two 11th placed athletes.

The Final is therefore comprised of the best 32 competitors from such qualification.

Individual medals are awarded as well as team medals which are decided by adding the three individual team member's scores together.

Team Relay
The Team Relay event consists of 16 teams of three athletes competing in a continuous relay completed in one day. Each Team Member fires 10 shots, swims 100m, fences one opposing team member, runs 1,500m, and rides a horse over 8 x show jumps.In this way, the relay competition is an exciting spectacle requiring contribution form each team member in every event.

World Cup Competition
A World Cup series for both Men and Women has been organized since 1990.

The best 32 x athletes qualify for the World Cup Final via a league table constructed from their three best results at World Cup competitions. The very best 32 athletes are guaranteed to compete in the Finals.Prize money is also available.

Events
Pistol Shooting
Air pistols are used to fire 20 shots at centre fire targets at a range of 10 m. The athletes have 40 seconds to fire each shot at a target of 155 mm in diameter. The target is made up of concentric rings ranging from one point on the outside to 10 points for a bulls-eyes. Rings one to six are on a white background and rings seven to ten are on a black background. Targets are changed after each shot and a score of 172 out of a possible 200 is worth 1,000 Pentathlon points. Every target point above or below 172 is worth plus or minus 12 Pentathlon points.

Fencing
Athletes fence every other competitor with epee swords for one hit within a time limit of one minute. If a hit is not scored within the time, both competitors register a defeat. The target area is the whole body and hits are registered via an electronic tip at the end of the sword. A total score of 70% victories equals 1,000 points with the value of each hit worth 28 points.

Swimming
The swimming event is a free-style race over 200 m for men and women with athletes seeded in heats according to their personal best time. A time of 2 minutes 30 seconds for men and 2 minutes 40 seconds for women earns 1000 Pentathlon Points. Every 3/10 of second above or below this time is equal to plus or minus four points, thus the value of each swimming second is worth 12 points.

Riding
The athletes ride unfamiliar horses over show-jumping obstacles of up to 120 cm in height and 150 cm in spread including one double and one triple. The track is between 350-450 m in length. Athletes pick their horses by lot and have 20 minutes and five practice fences for warm-up. Competitions start with 1,200 points and lose 30 points for knockdowns, 40 points for refusal or disobedience to jump, 40 points for falling off and 4 points per second for being over the standard time. If the round takes longer than double the standard time (for instance 2 min. 18 sec. for a 400 m course) the competitor is eliminated and scores zero point.

Running
The athletes run over a cross-country or road course which is 3,000 m in length for men and women. Competitors at Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cups are set off at intervals which correspond in seconds to the Pentathlon points difference between themselves and the athlete in front. The running event has in this way, a "chase" start. During qualifying events, a pack start is also possible. A time of 10 minutes for men and 11 minutes 20 seconds for women earns 1,000 Pentathlon Points. Every half-second above or below this standard will gain or lose 2 points.

Pentathlon World Tour
Organized for the first time in October, 1998, it is a UIPM product created as a spectacle concept, in an original outside area, for the public and the UIPM sponsors.The format is a Head to Head fight, in which each one of the two athletes completes the 5 events without any break between them.Only the time counts to be qualified for the next round of the direct elimination table. Each duel is around 20 minutes long.Prize money is available for the athletes.

Biathle
Designed for the excitement of spectators, the most recent of the UIPM products, Biathle combines the two basic elements of Modern Pentathlon, running and swimming, in a spectacular continuous format. Capable of being organized in any season, indoors or outdoors, Biathle consists of running 1,400 meters, swimming 100 meters and running 100 meters to the finish line. Biathle will create more involvement for smaller NOCs, especially those in developing countries, allowing the UIPM to instill the values of sport for all, culture and education in youth around the world.

Additional Information
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