Young athletes give seal of approval to modern pentathlon with obstacle course

Youth athletes finally got a chance to try out the new obstacle course discipline of modern pentathlon during the UIPM 2022 Youth World Championships in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy.

The test event was held for the young athletes on the sidelines of the official competition. A total of 122 athletes from 21 nations trialed the new discipline.

Reviews of the new discipline were mostly positive, with many of the athletes describing it as “fun” or “enjoyable.”

“I think it’s very intense and hard work, but very fun,” said British athlete Jack Murray. “It’ll be a great addition to the Modern Pentathlon and straight into the Swimming or Laser Run.”

He added, “you need to get good with the arms.”

A similar sentiment was also expressed by Stefan Chirita of Romania, who stated, “it aches on the arms and it’s painful on the hands.” However, he declared the new addition “fun” like many of his compatriots.

Egypt’s Moustafa Abouamer saw the potential adoption of obstacle course as a positive change for the sport. He commented, “I think it’s very good for young athletes. It will be a good new sport.”

Meanwhile, Italy’s Valentina Martinescu voiced her concerns about the effect it could have on other disciplines in the sport.

“I like it,” said Martinescu, adding, “it was my first time and I think afterwards the shooting would be very difficult because now my arms and hands hurt.”

The order of disciplines is still unclear as the UIPM is still in the testing phase of the new age discipline.

The course in Lignano Sabbiadoro reminded Hungary’s Milan Czak of popular television shows, such as American Ninja Warrior.

“I liked it, because I always watch TV series about obstacle courses at home, so I always wanted to try them.”

His dream became a reality in the most literal sense, as the course in Lignano Sabbiadoro was constructed in consultation with Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS), who own the global rights to the popular SASUKE/Ninja Warrior television series.

The young athletes were given time to practice the course ahead of the informal competition. They also received a first hand demonstration from obstacle course specialists Dimitri Houles and Ibtisam Gardabou.

Yasser Hefny OLY, Chair of the UIPM Athletes Committee, spoke highly of the test event. He said, “we already saw a lot of excitement and enjoyment from athletes who tried [the] Obstacle Discipline in Ankara and Manila but this Test Event took it to a new level.”

“These U19 and U17 athletes are the future of our sport and will be a big part of the first generation to perform the new discipline at the LA28 Olympic Games. We can already see that they are enthusiastic and they want to learn and improve,” added Hefny.

Despite Hefny’s certainty the sport will be included in the LA28 Summer Olympics, there’s no guarantee it will. It was left off the provisional sports program after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) identified issues with the cost and complexity of staging the sport, as well as the safety, accessibility, and universality of athletes participating in it.

Still, a chance remains for modern pentathlon to once again find itself under the five rings.

UIPM President Dr. Klaus Schormann commented on the test event, noting, “what we saw from the athletes who took part in this third test event of the new pentathlon discipline was a high level of excitement – they were asking ‘can we repeat, can we repeat?”

“[What] we have learned from these young athletes is that we are on the right track,” added Schormann. “As we all know, we already tested the concept with seniors in Ankara and then a mixed demographic in Manila, but here the young athletes are focusing on the future and we are focusing on the future.”

He highlighted the importance of youth input, arguing, “it will be very important for us to receive their feedback and find out more about what they liked, [and] what were their impressions.”

“The voice of athletes is always important and has to stay in the centre of our preparations and later our discussions and the decision that will be made by Congress,” declared Schormann.

He concluded, “we are looking forward to Test Event IV, which will be hosted in Zielona Gora during the UIPM 2022 Junior World Championships and I’m sure it will be another exciting opportunity for young athletes.”

A specific timeline for the official adoption of a new discipline remains unclear, though the process is expected to conclude at the 2022 UIPM Congress.

The deadline to submit a proposal for the LA28 Summer Olympics looms large, with the UIPM Congress quickly approaching on the horizon.