Welcome to Kaunas! The Lithuanian capital is hosting the Modern Pentathlon World Championships for the first time, from Tuesday to Saturday. The highlight of this post-Olympic year, accentuated by the addition of the obstacle course to the program. The International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) obviously sees this as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on its new format, confirming the promising trend of recent months.
Create an entertainment product
President Rob Stull preaches to his congregation before the big meeting. When I first started, the sport lasted five days. Now, it all takes place in an hour and a half. The action is intense and thrilling. "This format, without the riding," It also gives us the opportunity to attract more people to the pentathlon, especially young people, by transforming our sport into an entertainment product worthy of the Olympic Games. ", he assures, promising to continue to innovate, " both in terms of presentation and the sport itself, in order to attract more spectators to the pentathlon, for the benefit of all " The UIPM president had particularly applauded the choice of the song Thunderstruck by AC/DC to accompany the athletes' entry into Budapest in the spring. A detail, certainly, but one that contributes to the atmosphere and the experience of both pentathletes and spectators.
These World Championships will be " dynamic and innovative " promises the leader. " You'll experience modern pentathlon like you've never seen it before: bolder, faster, and more spectacular. This year's flagship competition marks a turning point for pentathlon. For the first time, our elite athletes are competing in a new format that includes direct elimination fencing and the brand-new obstacle discipline, in addition to swimming and laser run. These changes aren't just technical: they represent a reinvention of how our sport is perceived and experienced. »
A commercial springboard
In the midst of a revolution, the pentathlon has proven since the beginning of the year that it has truly turned the page on horse riding. It is beginning to reach a younger audience and " Now we have many more candidates to organize competitions Rob Stull expects to see " many new faces ", new cities, starting in 2027, which will allow his sport to become even more universal. Our top priority is to develop a viable commercial product that we can market in order to raise real funds for development. "He says.
In February, in an interview with Francs Jeux, he had just announced his goal of establishing a viable commercial platform. Modern pentathlon was never intended as a mass sport, but each discipline, taken individually, is., he pointed out. I just spent a few weeks in Europe, attending some fantastic presentations about the possibilities of monetizing and creating additional revenue by using our five disciplines together, or just some of them. We need a bigger pie and bigger revenues to be able to do what we want. "The first UIPM World Obstacle Championships in October will be another lever, along with eSports, for the pentathlon to accelerate its transformation from a niche sport to a spectacular popular phenomenon.
