![]() ![]() It's a nod to the popular television show "American Ninja Warrior."Ī series of test events hasn't included giants pools to cushion falls for struggling competitors like the TV show, but the athletic challenges have been similar. Any and all suggestions were encouraged.ĭrone racing was mentioned, along with juggling, before settling on obstacle racing. With the sport under pressure to remove the equestrian portion, an athlete focus group brainstormed on possible fifth disciplines. For instance, pistol shooting was replaced by laser guns before the 2012 London Games. ![]() Over the years, the sport invented by IOC founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin has gone through several transformations. To the champion went the title "Victor Ludorum" - winner of the Games. Then, it combined running, jumping, spear throwing, discus and wrestling. Really, though, its roots extend far beyond, with " pentathlons" being traced to the 18th Olympiad in 708 BC. Modern pentathlon has been part of the Olympics since the 1912 Stockholm Games. Because we don't want to lose the Olympics." But we can adapt to it," modern pentathlete Sophia Hernandez of Guatemala said. ![]() No debating this - time is of the essence, with modern pentathlon's congress meeting in November to vote on submitting obstacles to the IOC.įrom there, it's a waiting game to see if it's enough. To others, this change would tear at the very fabric of a sport that's intricately tied to horses. To some, the obstacles discipline is the ideal compromise - a way to modernize the sport as the Olympics seek a younger audience. There's still time to get back on the program for LA '28, should the International Olympic Committee approve of a change. The proposed solution: Obstacle course racing in place of equestrian, which the sport is testing out. The equestrian element came under fire during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when a German coach was filmed hitting an uncooperative horse in the women's competition. That sort of scene could rescue a sport facing a major crossroads.Īs it stands now, modern pentathlon - a sport in the Olympics for more than 100 years - would be off the program in its current form after the 2024 Paris Games.Īt issue: The horse component of an event that combines fencing, swimming, laser shooting, running and show-jumping. Imagine an "American Ninja Warrior" style obstacle course set up in the middle of the Coliseum for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games. As in, ring swings, rope mazes, balance beams and warped walls. The path to saving modern pentathlon from Olympic removal might just be filled with obstacles. ![]()
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