A small revolution. Nothing less. According to some British media, including Guardian And the site InsidetheGames, the modern pentathlon will radically change its face after the Paris 2024 Games. One of its five disciplines will disappear from the landscape. Not the least, since it is horse riding, inherited from the origins of a sport imagined at the time of ancient Greece to bring together the qualities of the ideal soldier.
According to a source “ close to the file", the executive committee of the International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM) would have voted this week, during a meeting presented as " secret", for the removal of the show jumping event. It could be replaced by cycling.
The information was then confirmed by the international body. Florent Boas, its head of media operations, and Joël Bouzou, one of its vice-presidents, assured that horse riding would soon no longer be part of the modern pentathlon program. But the arrival of cycling as a replacement sport is not yet certain.
On Tuesday, November 2, the UIPM published a press release specifying the progress of its reflection. “ As part of the UIPM’s commitment to maintaining a strong and dynamic profile for modern pentathlon, a series of strategic meetings are currently being conducted, says the document. These meetings include an upcoming exchange this week with the national federations. The results will be detailed in a press release to be published on November 4"
Did horse riding pay a high price for the Tokyo 2020 Games, where the trainer of the German Annika Schleu, at the top of the rankings before the show jumping, encouraged the athlete to hit his horse ? The timing of the decision of the UIPM executive committee suggests this. Relayed by social networks, the images of the incident caused a stir. Kim Raisner, the coach, and Annika Schleu, were accused of cruelty by
the German Animal Protection Association.
The UIPM Disciplinary Commission then found Kim Raisner guilty of violating Article 4.6.8, according to which a An athlete or team must be disqualified if they hit or brutalize a horse. At the same time, a commission
ad hoc body was brought together to submit recommendations to the executive committee before the next annual conference, scheduled for the end of November.
Joël Bouzou nevertheless explained it to Team : the decision to remove horse riding from the modern pentathlon program has nothing to do with the incident at the Tokyo Games. “ Horse riding is an obstacle to the development of our sport, whether in relation to practice or costs, explained the Frenchman, world champion in 1987. We started thinking about this in 2018.”
Threatened for a time with being removed from the Olympic Games program, the modern pentathlon saved its head thanks to strong lobbying with the IOC. The discipline does not lack support within the Olympic movement. At the top of the list, Juan Antonio Samaranch and Albert of Monaco. The Spaniard holds the position of first vice-president of the UIPM. Until last year, he was vice-president of the Olympic body. As for the Monegasque sovereign, he is honorary president of the UIPM.
Since then, the UIPM has spared no effort to modernize its discipline. Long contested over several days, it was concentrated on a single day from the Atlanta Games in 1996. Since 2009, shooting and running have been combined in a single event, contested like a pursuit. At the 2024 Paris Games, the format will be further tightened, with the entire Olympic competition having to be held in 90 minutes and contested on a single site.
The announced disappearance of horse riding, after the Paris 2024 Games, should not do it much harm. The principle of drawing lots, very random even at the highest level, has sometimes had the effect of distorting the result. The choice of a replacement sport promises to be complex, but it could bring a new lease of life to modern pentathlon.
