Imagine an “American Ninja Warrior” style obstacle course
set up in the middle of the Coliseum for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games.
That sort of scene could rescue a sport facing a major crossroads.
As it stands now, modern pentathlon — a sport in the Olympics
for more than 100 years — would be off the program in its current form after
the 2024 Paris Games.
At issue: The horse component of an event that combines
fencing, swimming, laser shooting, running and show-jumping. The equestrian
element came under fire during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when a German coach
was filmed hitting an uncooperative horse in the women’s competition.
The proposed solution: Obstacle course racing in place of
equestrian, which the sport is testing out. There’s still time to get back on
the program for LA ’28, should the International Olympic Committee approve of a
change.
To some, the obstacles discipline is the ideal compromise —
a way to modernize the sport as the Olympics seek a younger audience.
To others, this change would tear at the very fabric of a
sport that’s intricately tied to horses.
No debating this — time is of the essence, with modern
pentathlon’s congress meeting in November to vote on submitting obstacles to
the IOC.
From there, it’s a waiting game to see if it’s enough.
“Changes are not something we like. But we can adapt to it,”
modern pentathlete Sophia Hernandez of Guatemala said. “We have to move
forward. Because we don’t want to lose the Olympics.”
Modern pentathlon has been part of the Olympics since the
1912 Stockholm Games. Really, though, its roots extend far beyond, with “
pentathlons” being traced to the 18th Olympiad in 708 BC. Then, it combined
running, jumping, spear throwing, discus and wrestling. To the champion went
the title “Victor Ludorum” — winner of the Games.
Over the years, the sport invented by IOC founder Baron
Pierre de Coubertin has gone through several transformations. For instance,
pistol shooting was replaced by laser guns before the 2012 London Games.
With the sport under pressure to remove the equestrian
portion, an athlete focus group brainstormed on possible fifth disciplines. Any
and all suggestions were encouraged.
Drone racing was mentioned, along with juggling, before
settling on obstacle racing. It’s a nod to the popular television show
“American Ninja Warrior.”
A series of test events hasn’t included giants pools to
cushion falls for struggling competitors like the TV show, but the athletic
challenges have been similar. There’s also opportunities for picturesque
settings, too — think beach volleyball taking the sand at Copacabana Beach
during the 2016 Rio Games.
First, though, obstacle racing must be approved.
To further gauge its popularity, modern pentathlon’s
governing body, known by its French acronym UIPM, has conducted several test
events.
Last month in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy, 122 young
pentathletes from 21 countries took a run through a 10-obstacle course that
included various walls (going over, under and up) along with swings.
“It was a good challenge,” said Canadian teenager Connor
Chow, who won the gold-medal race. “Even if some of the obstacles were scary at
first, I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Modern pentathlon, along with boxing and weightlifting, were
left off the initial list of 28 sports on the LA ’28 Olympic program. It’s a
list that included youthful sports such as skateboarding, sport climbing and
surfing, which made their Olympic debuts in Tokyo.
Still, there remains a pathway for inclusion for modern
pentathlon, along with boxing and weightlifting, during the annual meeting of
the IOC membership in 2023. That’s provided each sport shows they’ve made changes
to the governance or organizational culture.
There’s also a chance for additional sports to be added for
LA. It’s a crowded sports landscape, though, with lacrosse, baseball/softball,
cricket, flag football, break dancing, karate, kickboxing, squash and
motorsport all competing for a spot in ’28.
Modern pentathlon has deep ties to the IOC. Longtime UIPM
President Dr. Klaus Schormann has served on the IOC’s working groups for
culture and Olympic education. His first vice-president, Juan Antonio Samaranch,
was voted back onto the IOC’s executive board and could someday be in position
for a run at the IOC presidency.
When the IOC effectively suggested changing equestrian,
modern pentathlon sought a more inclusive discipline, one that might have legs
with younger audiences. The data supported obstacle racing — “American Ninja
Warrior” has had over 70,000 people apply annually from around the globe, while
the total number of athletes registered on the UIPM global database is 98,000.
“Every innovation is hard,” UIPM Secretary General Shiny
Fang said. “It’s really about more engagement, universality and excitement.
Potentially, we could bring a new audience. That matters for the Games as
well.”
There are athletes who felt those in charge haven’t listened
to their concerns and a route to saving the equestrian portion exists. The
group “ Pentathlon United ” formed with a mission of creating “a new, dynamic
and sustainable Olympic future for Pentathlon worldwide.” The group said the
decision to remove equestrian was “unfounded, unnecessary and reckless.”
Olympic gold medalist Joe Choong of Britain is among the
pentathletes to raise concerns. In an email to The Associated Press, he
explained that removing horse riding is “devastating for the sport.”
“I have no problem with OCR (obstacle-course racing) as an
independent sport,” he wrote. “However MP is the sport I love and I think
replacing any of the five sports with OCR ruins our sport. I think OCR was
chosen through a completely opaque process.”
Retired Egyptian modern pentathlete Yasser Hefny hears the
concerns. But the Olympian points out this is for the sport’s survival. To drop
from the Olympics compromises funding and the future.
“We cannot be selfish and think, ‘Yeah, we used to do
this,’” said Hefny, who’s chair of the UIPM’s athletes committee. “Instead of
being a sport to try and survive in every Olympics, we want to be a leading
sport.”
The reason for a possible change stems from last summer when
TV footage showed German coach Kim Raisner leaning over a fence to strike the
horse Saint Boy, which refused to jump the fences in the show-jumping round.
That cost German athlete Annika Schleu a chance of winning the gold medal.
Athletes in modern pentathlon are expected to ride horses
they have never met before. Bonding with them quickly is part of the challenge.
Saint Boy had already refused to jump for another rider earlier in the
competition.
“The riding event, it’s very unpredictable,” Hernandez said.
“The best athletes get sometimes the worst horses and then get eliminated and
the whole four years of preparation are gone in one second. I don’t think
that’s very fair.”
Some argue that adding obstacle racing in place of
equestrian isn’t an apples-to-apples exchange.
“It’s this element, where you have to develop a partnership
with another animal, that makes the skill set required so diverse and so unlike
any other sport in the Games,” Choong explained. “Without this, we lose our
uniqueness (as well as the tradition and history) — risk becoming more and more
assimilated to other multi-discipline sports like triathlon.”
On a pedestal in his office, Schormann has a bust of the
founder of his sport, de Coubertin. It’s a name Schormann references often —
how de Coubertin would’ve embraced change to grow modern pentathlon.
“You always want to go with the time, not against the time,”
Schormann said. “Build up something for younger generations to come.” -AP
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