The decision to drop equestrianism from the modern pentathlon from the 2028 Olympics may be “painful” for athletes and the equestrian community, but the sport must change over time, the president of its governing body told Reuters on Thursday.
The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) said it would remove equestrian from the Los Angeles Games, beginning a consultation process to find a suitable replacement.
The modern pentathlon has been an Olympic sport since 1912 consisting of five events – fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting and cross-country running.
Klaus Schormann, President of UIPM, said, “UIPM is fully aware of this decision… will come as a disappointment to many members of our global community who love the sport in its present form, including athletes.” who have developed their riding abilities over many years of training.” told Reuters via email.
The sport was criticized this year by – including by animal advocacy group PETA – after Germany’s modern pentathlon coach Kim Reisner refused to jump a fence after hitting Annika Schleu’s horse at the Tokyo Olympics.
“We also feel for the coaches and administrators and the wider equestrian community who have supported the riding element of the modern pentathlon and we hope to continue to do so during the Paris 2024 Olympic cycle,” Shoreman said.
“Change can be painful, but the modern pentathlon has thrived on change throughout its existence, adapting to meet the changing expectations of audiences.”
Thursday’s decision, which followed the recommendations of its Innovation Commission, followed a meeting of the UIPM executive board, met with anger from Britain’s Olympic champion Joe Chong.
Chong tweeted, “Let’s stop the UIPM @WorldPentathlon destroying our sport. They should not be allowed to remove the riding element of the modern pentathlon without discussing it with our athletes and its member states. @Olympics #savepentathlon “
Schorman said that the UIPM has listened carefully to the feedback received on the structure of the modern pentathlon, but added that no particular sport or discipline was identified as the preferred option for replacing riding.
“We are extremely grateful to our global membership of national associations for their readiness to embrace change during today’s conference call,” Shoreman said.
“We look forward to continuing these conversations with our members during the 71st UIPM Congress later in November – and to the input they will provide in the consultation process.”
Disclaimer: This post has been self-published from the agency feed without modification and has not been reviewed by an editor
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