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≡ LOS ANGELES 2028 ≡
Already one of the smallest sports on the Olympic program, modern pentathlon had 72 athletes at Paris 2024, but was cut to 64 athletes – 32 men and 32 women – in Wednesday’s announcement of events and quotas by the International Olympic Committee.
A slap in the face to a sport which barely got onto the LA28 program?
No, not at all, said IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL) at Wednesday’s news conference:
“I think we need to acknowledge the journey the sport has been on. There is a very strong new leadership with Rob Stull … from the U.S., taking over as the President recently, and the work they’ve done not only to replace the horses with the obstacles, but the way they’ve approached it, in terms of embracing the opportunity to really bring in innovation and bring in new communities of young athletes around the world, and it’s something super exciting.
“In fact, the challenges from that have become real opportunities and UIPM is looking at that quite boldly in terms of the way they want to embrace that, and that’s super exciting in terms of where we think modern pentathlon will be by the time of the Games in L.A., not only the obstacles, of course, which will be the most visual part, but the way they are embracing what the obstacles and the integrated formats of the Laser Run and the other elements can bring.”
McConnell added on the reduction in the quota:
“Yes, there was a reduction of four men and four women. That’s not in any way a further critical nature from our side, it’s just a quota adjustment, which actually allows a shorter fencing phase, for example, and allows the overall program of Modern Pentathlon to fit within the quite compact window that they are looking for, as well as the broadcasters.
“It was a decision from the IOC, let’s be clear on that, but it allows that more compact format and also allows within the overall program for us to find the eight athletes needed for Sport Climbing to allow the minimum numbers of 12 per event in Sport Climbing.
“Again, not a criticism of the direction that modern pentathlon has taken in regard to embracing the obstacles and the new formats; they’re doing a fantastic job and we’re really excited about the possibilities. So as I said, it shouldn’t be taken in any way as a criticism of the direction they’re going, or the new leadership, which is really impressing this innovation and this direction.”
So, McConnell gave the UIPM an endorsement of its direction, but reduced its athlete total to the lowest level since 2004, when it also had 64 entries, in the second Games in which women participated (first in Sydney 2000). The lowest-ever total of Olympic pentathlon entries was in 1920 in Antwerp, with 23 men only. There were 24 at Los Angeles 1932 and 52 at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
It’s worth noting, however, that Modern Pentathlon is no longer the smallest sport on the (more or less) “permanent” Olympic program of 31 sports, as surfing has 48, also with two events.
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