Success at Paris 2024 Olympics prepares Modern Pentathlon for its next chapter with obstacle racing at LA 2028

Women’s individual Modern Pentathlon medals awarded for the final time at an equestrian venue at Paris 2024 Olympics, August 11, 2024 (Photo: IOC / Nuno Gonçalves)

Between the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, Modern Pentathlon will undergo a transformation that will help make the sport even more modern – and potentially attract new athletes, and a new audience to the competitions. The sport has been staged at every Olympic since 1912 with only minor modifications along the way.

At Paris 2024 show jumping was staged for the final time with events at the historic Château de Versailles. The equestrian element will now be replaced with obstacle racing, a competition that has been popularized by ‘Ninja Warrior’ television shows aired around the world. Obstacle will join fencing, 200m swimming and a laser run competition – the exciting finale that combines running and target shooting.

Show jumping has been featured in every Olympics Modern Pentathlon since Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympics, created the event to mimic the Pentathlon of ancient Greece. The elements in the original version – running, jumping, javelin, discus and wrestling – were chosen to showcase the skillsets of the complete soldier. Coubertin opted for updated elements for the Modern Games.

Athletes embrace positive change as Modern Pentathlon set to return at LA 2028 Olympics

But more than 100 years later, it’s time for more change.

Show jumping, where athletes competed with unfamiliar  horses, became problematic as the element added cost, complexity and safety issues to the sport. That came to a head during the pandemic delayed Tokyo 2020 Games when a German coach was caught on camera punching a horse after it refused to make a required jump. Modern Pentathlon Federation (UIPM) executives chose to drop the sport and search for a replacement, causing some friction within the community.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) put the sport on notice, requiring that it demonstrate a suitable replacement before a spot on the LA 2028 Olympics program could be confirmed. Obstacle was later proposed and tested, and the IOC approved the plans readmitting the sport to LA 2028 and beyond.

We asked UIPM President Klaus Schormann for his thoughts on the competition at Paris 2024, and for an outlook on the transformation of Modern Pentathlon heading to Los Angeles:

GamesBids.com: Did you get the results you were looking for with Modern Pentathlon in Paris?

Dr. Klaus Schormann: We absolutely exceeded our own expectations. Quite simply, the Olympic Games Paris 2024 were a groundbreaking success for the sport of Modern Pentathlon. More than 63,000 spectators packed out the Palace of Versailles and North Paris Arena, and millions on TV and online tuned in around the world to watch the world’s most versatile athletes. It was an incredibly special event to mark the end of an era for Olympic Modern Pentathlon with Riding featuring for the last time.

GB: Besides the switch to obstacle racing, what would you consider changing for LA28?

KS: Most importantly, UIPM will do everything to deliver an event that raises the bar again in Los Angeles. It was fitting that the last-ever horse ride was successfully negotiated by Elodie Clouvel, who became a two-time Olympic medallist in her home city. But now, Obstacle is in our present, and this new era will welcome hundreds of thousands of young people from all corners of the world to the pentathlon community, regardless of their culture, religion, and economic background.

GB: Has obstacle added a new entry point for athletes in the sport? Will loss of show jumping create an exit point for athletes? Do you expect more than usual athlete turnover between Paris and LA?

KS: Obstacle offers an exciting and accessible dimension, not only for new audiences and new athletes from every country in the world, but also for the community of elite athletes who made our sport shine so brightly in Paris. I can’t wait to see them on the obstacle course when the 2028 Olympic cycle begins. Naturally, we always anticipate some athletes retiring between one Olympic cycle and the next. This is normal given the challenging nature of all sports. However, after our media team interviewed more than half of the participating athletes in the mixed zone in Paris. 93 percent of those athletes interviewed underlined their ambition for the excitement to continue. I believe the appetite to be in Los Angeles is very clear.

GB: What kind of promotion will you need to do ahead of LA28?

KS: For UIPM, our responsibility will, as always, be to ensure that we continue to communicate with our athletes. They will always come first. We will work closely with LA28 to ensure we are supporting their communications objectives for the next few years. What I would say is that the combination of Obstacle and the Hollywood factor will be something very special. Something that our community and Olympic fans of all ages around the world will find incredibly exciting.

GB: Any hints on where Modern Pentathlon venue will be at LA28?

KS: It is still a little early to discuss these details at this stage. However, what we do know is that the Olympic venues in Los Angeles will be iconic, state-of-the-art, and will offer the best possible experience for athletes and the fans. It will be the perfect stage to welcome a new generation of world-class pentathletes from around the world. In the meantime, UIPM continues in the spirit of our founder Pierre de Coubertin and all our stakeholders working together for the benefit our athletes , national federation and the Olympic Movement.

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