Modern Pentathlon
The Ultimate Challenge of Skill, Agility and Discipline

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympics, designed the Pentathlon Moderne to challenge "a man's moral qualities as much as his physical resources and skills, producing thereby the ideal, complete athlete." Encapsulating both the Olympic movement's ancient heritage and its modern aspirations, de Coubertin updated the military template that guided the original Olympic Games, employing the nineteenth century battlefield courier as his model.

The five disciplines of Pentathlon Moderne reflect the tests which this courier might have encountered in carrying out his duties: fighting off enemy assailants (fencing and laser shooting), navigating a river (swimming), overcoming a number of land-based obstacles on an unfamiliar horse (equine jumping), and traveling a significant distance on foot (running).

These five events capture the essence of the human experience - pushing mind, body, and spirit to produce an unforgettable display of skill, endurance, and athleticism.

Fencing
Competitors fence other participating athletes with an épée sword in a round-robin, meaning they face all the other competitors once. Matches last up to one minute, with the first fencer to score a hit winning instantly. If neither scores within one minute, they both lose the match.
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Swimming
The swimming discipline involves a 200m freestyle race. Competitors are seeded in heats according to their fastest time over the distance.
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Riding
The riding discipline involves show-jumping on a 350 - 450m course with 12 to 15 obstacles - all with an unfamiliar horse. Competitors are paired with horses in a draw 20 minutes before the start of the event.
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Running
Combined with the shooting event, the running discipline consists of four 800m cross-country laps, each prefaced by laser shooting at five targets.
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Shooting
Combined with the running event, the shooting discipline involves the competitor running three 1000m laps, each prefaced by hitting five targets with a laser pistol.
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