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Mike Chan

Pentathletes used to need to know how to ride a horse as well as run, swim, shoot and fence. Now, they have to be able to swing from monkey bars, climb vertical walls and display the kind of skill contestants need on American Ninja Warrior.
Obstacle racing will replace show jumping at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and as the discipline’s world championships finished at Universal Studios Beijing on Sunday, organisers are ready for what comes next.
Like many other sports, modern pentathlon has had to evolve to keep up with the times.
Athletics, for example, is debuting its Ultimate Championship in Budapest next week, featuring a distinctive lighting design in which the infield is predominantly black and only the active competition areas are illuminated.
Fencing introduced a world league in April, while the International Swimming League, established in 2019, is returning to London in December after a five-year hiatus.

Other new events include World Table Tennis, founded seven years ago, and the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, in the face of newer racquet sports such as padel and pickleball.
In the case of modern pentathlon, making a change was a necessary move, according to the chief overseeing the development of the sport, which was created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Games.
“We recognise our heritage, and we respect it, but it’s not enough in today’s sports market,” Rob Stull, president of Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), said. “You have to innovate constantly.
“The International Olympic Committee is looking for new audiences across all sports, and obstacle [racing] brings new audiences. That is important. We want to be part of their solutions in terms of new audiences, and new audiences create new revenue sources.
“We have a sport that’s over 100 years old. It was created by the founder of the Olympic Games, but it has been reimagined for today’s audiences. It’s quite different and very exciting and very cool.”
Having reportedly faced a boot from the Olympics more than a decade ago, modern pentathlon survived the chop following changes from within. These included holding all events in a single stadium, and replacing show jumping – which involved riding an unfamiliar horse – with obstacle racing.
According to senior UIPM officials, the change ticked the boxes for “accessibility, participants and audiences”.

“We have participants, we have audiences, and the sport itself is very accessible for everyone,” UIPM secretary general Shiny Fang said. “It’s just human nature to overcome the obstacles. The kids, they just cannot get enough of it. So with all this, and especially its competitiveness, I think that’s also very important for the Olympic elite sport.”
Stull, a 65-year-old former Olympian and pentathlete, said that any changes were all about adapting to the world.
“We don’t try to have the people adapt to us; we need to adapt to them,” said the American, who competed at the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Games. “People consume their sports differently; whether you watch it on television, on your phone, or however you’re getting your sports information, it’s different than when I did it when I was 35.
“When I competed back in the dark ages, we had five days of competition. Now, a competition is 90 minutes, just like a football match, which makes it very convenient not just for broadcasters, but also spectators.
“They come in, and don’t have to be there all day. It’s just like spending three hours with the family, including the drive time.”
It was not only the sport that adapted; the pentathletes and the obstacle race had to do so as well.
Reigning Olympic champion Michelle Gulyás triumphed in Paris, which was the last Games to feature show jumping as part of the modern pentathlon. The 25-year-old, who was born in London but represents Hungary, topped the show jumping table and won gold with a world-record number of points.
Eight months later, Gulyás won the UIPM Pentathlon World Cup in Budapest, by which time show jumping had been replaced by the obstacle race.

Originally designed as an outdoor sport, the obstacle race can also be held indoors or at iconic venues, Stull said. His aim was to make the event “suitable for every organiser in the world”, hinting that the UIPM was modifying its rules so it could be held in open water at the 2032 Brisbane Games.
“If you have a lake, a sea or any other body of water, you’re not limited to a 25- or 50-metre pool,” he said. “You will have the open water options, so that can be attractive to any organiser.
“I think we’re a sport for any organiser and any city and virtually any venue.”
Stull also believed that the obstacle race aligned very well with the modern pentathlon narrative.
“It’s a very demanding athletic discipline that helps to identify the complete athlete,” he said. “But it also has the modern relevance and popularity that is key to enhancing the value of the Olympic Games and bringing in new audiences.
“We’re not fighting among the sports; we’re trying to get people active. Our enemy is video games, people staying at home and not being active. That’s the enemy.”
The current UIPM Obstacle World Championships – offering the 100m and 400m as well as a 3km race – concluded on Sunday at Universal Studios Beijing, having moved from the National Olympic Sports Centre Stadium last year.
“It’s an iconic marquee location, and they’re used to handling big crowds,” Stull said. “It’s like going from a baseball field in your hometown, then all of a sudden you walk onto a major-league baseball field, and it’s just night and day, the difference, in terms of the level.
“The average daily attendance at Universal Studios is 60,000, and we’re here for five days; it exposes the sport in a great way.”

The next two obstacle world championships will also be held in the Chinese capital, under a four-year partnership with the Beijing Capital Tourism Group, the Beijing Sports Bureau and the Chinese Modern Pentathlon Association.
“Securing the four-year hosting agreement with Beijing was a no-brainer for us. China represents a massive market for our sport, and Beijing brings together a population of over 22 million, a thriving Asian obstacle scene and a world-class track record for hosting major sporting events,” Florida native Stull, who was also an épéeist at the Olympics, said.
“Beijing is a double Olympic city. Hosting the world championships here is the perfect opportunity to elevate the sport – and tapping into a potential audience of 1.4 billion people offers incredible exposure.”


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Obstacle racing's world championships ended on Sunday at Universal Studios Beijing. Photo: Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne

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UIPM president Rob Stull (right) took part in three Olympic Games in modern pentathlon. Photo: UIPM

UIPM secretary general Shiny Fang said “kids just cannot get enough” of obstacles. Photo: UIPM

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Obstacle race will replace show jumping in modern pentathlon at 2028 Games, organisers say move will make sport ‘very exciting and very cool’


Obstacle race will replace show jumping in modern pentathlon at 2028 Games, organisers say move will make sport ‘very exciting and very cool’.


Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games

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Pentathletes test American Ninja Warrior skills in Beijing as warm-up for the LA Olympics

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Obstacle race will replace show jumping in modern pentathlon at 2028 Games, organisers say move will make sport ‘very exciting and very cool’

Obstacle race will replace show jumping in modern pentathlon at 2028 Games, organisers say move will make sport ‘very exciting and very cool’