Modern pentathlon votes to ditch horse riding after Tokyo Olympic turmoil

It is a sport conceived originally by the founder of the modern Olympics to help cavalry riders to develop the skills needed to survive behind enemy lines. But after 109 years, modern pentathlon’s governing body has voted secretly to remove horse riding and replace it with cycling, the Guardian can reveal.

Multiple sources have said the decision was taken by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne’s executive board in recent days, and was hastened by the distressing scenes at the Tokyo Olympics when a horse was punched by a German coach after it refused to jump a fence.

Those pictures made global headlines and the UIPM is understood to have acted in order to preserve its status in the Olympics in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Games.

While the decision has not yet been announced officially, it is already facing a backlash from some countries who believe that losing the horse-riding element fundamentally changes the sport. Modern pentathlon has been a core Olympic event since 1912 when it was invented by Pierre de Coubertin – and while it has since moved from a five-day event to a solitary day it has always tested athletes in fencing, swimming, show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross-country running.

The UIPM refused to deny the story when confronted by the Guardian, with a spokesperson saying: “I am not able to give you any information right now.”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/nov/02/modern-pentathlon-votes-to-ditch-horse-riding-after-tokyo-olympic-turmoil