Tokyo was a turning point for the modern pentathlon – riding is abolished. The replacement discipline is being put to the test for the first time.
At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the modern pentathlon will take place for the last time with show jumping. With great fanfare, the world association UIPM has now tested the alternative discipline in Ankara for the first time – an obstacle course that resembles the “Ninja Warrior” from the RTL show of the same name.
Nine obstacles have to be overcome over a distance of 100 meters. These include swinging on a rope, climbing a 2.5 meter high ladder with ascent and descent, balancing on a beam and finally climbing a curved wall, the so-called tsunami wall.
“Really Good Thing”
“That’s a really good thing”, said Robin Schmidt, spokesman for the German Federation for Modern Pentathlon (DVMF). The five-strong German delegation among the 19 participating nations performed successfully in Ankara. Tobias Hierl won the men’s competition, Schmidt took third place, as did Annika Schneider in the junior women’s category.
The course has one “Requirement character that was fun. There’s always something happening”, reported Schmidt. You have to weigh risk against safety, the sport also appeals to other areas of strength. He advocated that the obstacle competition, like riding now, be placed at the beginning of the pentathlon: “It’s a good start to the competition.”
With the new format, the world association wants to maintain its Olympic status and be part of the program again in Los Angeles in 2028 – as of now, the sport is not included.
Break overdue
For Michael Dörr, the upheaval is overdue. “It’s called modern pentathlon, so we can also modernize – and we have to.”, said the president of the German association. He is a self-confessed riding fan – but campaigns for the abolition of the controversial discipline. “We draw a horse and have to see how we get along. In this respect we degrade a living being to a piece of sports equipment. The regulations don’t allow it any differently.”he complained.
For the former women’s national coach, riding is “a relic from the past”from around 1900 or 1910, “when everyone had a horse, when the horse was the main means of transport”. And further: “It’s a plait that no longer fits into today’s world. Complex, expensive, only a few nations can afford it.”
With the cancellation of riding, the world association is reacting to the incidents at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last year and the specifications of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In Japan, the German Annika Schleu caused a stir and sharp criticism. The then leader in the intermediate classification had not been able to cope with a horse that had been drawn to her and was completely insecure; she had used crop and spurs desperately.
The IOC requirement is that the fifth competition, in addition to fencing, swimming and the laser run of pistol shooting and running, should be accessible worldwide, popular among all age groups, dynamic and attractive to spectators worldwide, as well as being inexpensive and easy to understand.
“Viewers have to like it”
The obstacle course is exactly the right way for Dörr. “It will definitely be a fairer sport. Because now the athlete has everything in his own hands. He decides whether he makes a mistake or not. The sport will not only be fairer, but also more global. Of course, the established ones will now have more competition “he judged.