Modern pentathlon is undoubtedly one of the collateral victims of the decisions announced by the IOC on Wednesday, since it lost eight athlete quotas (four men, four women) for the Los Angeles Games. The pentathletes will therefore be 64 to compete in 2028, where there were 72 in Paris. Kit McConnell, IOC sports director, insisted in a press conference that this decision was a simple adjustment, and not a punishment, while the pentathlon has engaged a major change by abandoning horse riding in favor of obstacle racing. The UIPM nevertheless expressed "a big disappointment" faced with this choice, which marks a hard blow for its new president, Rob Stull.
"The decision is difficult to accept after all the pentathlon community has done to help reshape our historic sport into something a leader in sports innovation, in accordance with the future direction of the Olympic Games, explains the instance in a press release. Modern pentathlon has worked in close collaboration with the IOC throughout this process, which makes the news even more unexpected. We look forward to continuing the dialogue with the IOC Sports Department on this matter. That said, our community is resilient and We will prove to the world in three years that our new-look pentathlon deserves a greater place., and undiluted, in future Games."
