Saudi Arabia is continuing its shopping spree for events and organizations in the Olympic movement. Its latest acquisition: the next annual congress of the International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM). It will be held in Riyadh, the capital, on November 16 and 17, 2024. The choice of Saudi Arabia was unanimously adopted by the Executive Board of the body chaired by Germany’s Klaus Schormann (pictured above, with the Vice-President of the Saudi Olympic Committee, Prince Fahd bin Jalawi). The 73rd UIPM Annual Congress was originally due to be held in Antigua, Guatemala, but the country lost the bid after the IOC’s decision in March to suspend the Guatemalan Olympic Committee. The IOC then launched a bidding process. Two countries responded: Saudi Arabia and Egypt. But the Egyptians withdrew their balls at last week’s Executive Board meeting, leaving the Saudis alone in the running.
