About us

Modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport. It was devised to test the skills needed to be a cavalry soldier. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, created modern pentathlon and it has been a core sport at the Olympics since 1912. With its mixture of physical and mental demands that test courage, stamina, coordination, concentration, skill and flexibility – plus a generous dose of unpredictability – this event has a strong claim to producing the most complete athlete.

a man’s moral qualities as much as his physical resources and skills, producing thereby a complete athlete

The modern version was introduced by Pierre de Coubertin at the Stockholm Games in 1912

Athletes compete in swimming, fencing and obstacle racing, followed by a combined running and shooting (also called laser-run) event. Competitors gain points across each discipline, resulting in a handicapped start for the laser-run race. The first person to cross the finish line wins the gold medal. All of this normally happens on one day!

Since the sport was created it has undergone many changes in format. Originally taking place over 5 days the sport changed to a one day format for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Women competed in the Olympics for the first time at Sydney in 2000. In 2008 the International Federation for Modern Pentathlon voted for the shooting and running to be combined and in 2010 the shooting format was changed from air pistols to laser shooting. Continuing in their quest to adapt the sport of Modern Pentathlon, UIPM introduced the Obstacle discipline in 2023 as a replacement for Horse Riding.