Paris 2024 Olympic Games: What is modern pentathlon and which sports are in it? Rules, changes and how to watch
By Flo Clifford
Published 07/08/2024 at 10:41 GMT+1
Modern pentathlon is one of the more obscure and quirky sports on offer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, testing athletes' abilities and endurance in five different sports. With the governing body and athletes at odds over proposed changes, these Games could be its last Olympic outing, and will definitely be the last to include showjumping. Here are all the rules of modern pentathlon, explained.
Watch thrilling 1500m final as Hocker defeats GB's Kerr and Ingebrigtsen
Video credit: TNT Sports
Modern pentathlon is one of the more unusual sports on offer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and has constantly evolved since its debut in 1912 and the inclusion of the women's event in 2000.
A hugely demanding discipline, athletes must excel across a variety of sports that all require different skills.
Modern pentathlon consists of four events over five sports: fencing (one-touch epee), freestyle swimming, equestrian showjumping and a laser-run involving pistol shooting and cross-country running.
Despite having ‘modern’ in the name, the sport is modelled on the traditional pentathlon played thousands of years ago in ancient Greece.
That version mimicked the skills a soldier would have needed at the time: running, long jump, javelin, discus and wrestling.
The idea behind the modern version was similar, albeit less military-focussed: to test all the skills required of a ‘complete’ athlete.
The sport has undergone various changes in format over the years – and it has not been without controversy.
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Team GB's modern pentathlon squad for Paris 2024: Joe Choong, Kerenza Bryson, Kate French and Myles Pillage
Image credit: Getty Images
What are the RULES in modern pentathlon?
For Paris, the events are riding, fencing, swimming and the laser-run. Athletes achieve points for the first three events according to how well they compare against a set benchmark.
Those points then determine their starting position in the laser-run, with the highest-scoring athlete setting off first.
Each other athlete then has a time handicap with one second corresponding to each point between them and the leader. Whoever crosses the finish line first in the laser-run wins the gold medal.
- Cole Hocker snatches gold in men’s 1500m final as GB'S Josh Kerr takes silver, Jakob Ingebrigtsen fourth
- Team GB win silver in men's team sprint as Dutch storm to another gold
what are the events?
Riding: A showjumping course with 12 obstacles. Athletes are randomly allocated a horse 20 minutes before the start time.
Completing the course is worth 300 points, with points deducted for penalties and for going over a specified time limit.
Fencing: Split into two rounds, the ranking and bonus round. The ranking round involves each of the athletes competing against all of the rest in one-on-one, minute-long bouts or until the first hit. If neither athlete scores a hit, they both register a defeat.
The bonus round lasts for 45 seconds and is single elimination, where players must win the bout to advance to the next round, until only one athlete is left.
Athletes earn points for how many of their bouts they win: if they win 70% of their bouts they score 250 points, with every additional win worth five extra points and every win below 70% worth a five-point deduction.
Swimming: A 200m swim. A time of 2 minutes 30 seconds is worth 250 points; every second faster is worth two points, and every second slower is worth a two-point deduction.
Laser-run: A combination of running and shooting. Athletes alternate between four legs of running totalling 3000m, and shooting at five targets from a distance of 10m.
They get an unlimited number of shots and must either hit all five targets at each stop before continuing, or carry on running after 50 seconds have elapsed.
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Pentathletes in action at the UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Championships
Image credit: Getty Images
What are the new changes?
Modern pentathlon has sometimes been criticised for being too obscure or complex and has often had to justify its inclusion to the IOC.
In a bid to modernise the sport, the governing body, the UIPM, has introduced a raft of changes. For Paris, that includes condensing the event down into a much shortened time frame.
All the events will take place within 90 minutes, although with heats, semi-finals and finals on different days, and a new elimination system will mean that only 12 athletes take part in each final.
Why has showjumping been axed?
At the Tokyo 2020 Games, the sport came under fire as several athletes in the women’s field struggled to control their randomly-assigned horses during the showjumping section and a trainer was sent home after being filmed punching a horse.
The UIPM then decided to change the format and abolished the showjumping section for future Games after Paris 2024.
It plans to replace it with racing on an obstacle course, but the move has been highly controversial. Several athletes have complained that they were not consulted about the proposed changes and have spoken out against them.
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Team GB's Myles Pillage in the final at the UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Championships
Image credit: Getty Images
Will modern pentathlon be at the 2028 Olympics?
There are other questions hanging over the future of the sport besides its format. The 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles had planned to remove modern pentathlon entirely.
It has since been provisionally reinstated and will be the first Olympics to trial the new obstacle racing event.
When is modern pentathlon on?
The modern pentathlon events run from August 8-11, with the men’s individual medal event on August 10 at 15:30 BST and the women’s the following day at 10:00 BST.
The sport is held at the Palace of Versailles and the North Paris Arena.
How can I watch the Olympic Games?
The modern pentathlon will be broadcast live on Eurosport and discovery+.
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer.
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