Modern Pentathlon at the 2020 Games

[MisterSG1]

So I tuned into the OBS broadcast and here they are using a 25m pool? Ever heard of something so Mickey Mouse?

[Sir Rols]

I guess because it’s a temporary pool in the stadium. Don’t know if that‘S always the case in the modern pentathlon though.

[MisterSG1]

11 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

I guess because it’s a temporary pool in the stadium. Don’t know if that‘S always the case in the modern pentathlon though.

I saw this very event at the 2015 Pan Am Games and since became intrigued by it.

In London I know it was at the same pool as the regular swimming, and that was the case in the Toronto Pan Ams as well.

All five of the events were contested in the same facility in Toronto, they used a gymnasium for the fencing rounds, and the adjacent field outside for the show jumping and laser-run (perhaps it should be modern tetrathlon)

Usually modern pentathlon’s pool is a 50m pool.

[StefanMUC]

Never has that sport got as much publicity in Germany as today (including the gold in Beijing), when Annika Schleu as clear leader and fave to win got unlucky with the horse draw and the horse refused to go.

She was in tears, her coach audibly shouted to beat the horse, it was terrible scenes and now there’s a super shitstorm in Germany about torturing animals.

The DOSB has already suggested that a change in the rules is necessary so that horse and rider have more than the currently 20 minutes to get used to each other, while others are calling for either a ban on the athlete, the coach or the sport altogether. A more daring proposal, which I think is worthwhile considering, was replacing horse riding by cycling.

 

[MisterSG1]

4 hours ago, StefanMUC said:

Never has that sport got as much publicity in Germany as today (including the gold in Beijing), when Annika Schleu as clear leader and fave to win got unlucky with the horse draw and the horse refused to go.

She was in tears, her coach audibly shouted to beat the horse, it was terrible scenes and now there’s a super shitstorm in Germany about torturing animals.

The DOSB has already suggested that a change in the rules is necessary so that horse and rider have more than the currently 20 minutes to get used to each other, while others are calling for either a ban on the athlete, the coach or the sport altogether. A more daring proposal, which I think is worthwhile considering, was replacing horse riding by cycling.

 

I've found that an unintentional side effect of the competition, in that the show jumping portion appears to be a luck based competition of getting a horse which cooperates with you.

As for replacing it with cycling, I'm not sure. This event is steeped with Olympic tradition despite it being probably one of the least known sports, at least around here anyways. As we had a host explain the different parts of the competition at the 2015 Pan American Games, he explained that the name of the sport, Modern Pentathlon is derived by what would make the perfect modern soldier, at least in 1896, as opposed to the Ancient Pentathlon at the Ancient Olympics. This Ancient Pentathlon consisted of a foot race, discus throw, javelin throw, long jump, and wrestling which in ancient times were useful skills in battle. Thus replacing horse riding with cycling, doesn't exactly fit for the ideal "modern" soldier.

[StefanMUC]

It was actually a creation of de Coubertin himself, introduced in 1912.

So, after more than a century, it would be a good moment to review this? Especially since all other parts of the MP have undergone sometimes drastic changes in the last few decades to make it more TV friendly and guarantee its Olympic existence.

[Rob.]

1 hour ago, StefanMUC said:

So, after more than a century, it would be a good moment to review this?

Nah, it's fine as it is!

[AmaniS]

If you want to change the horse riding, maybe driving a jeep or Toyota. 

Maybe a update is in order after a hundred years? Anything else should we modernized. Drone flying?

[MisterSG1]

18 hours ago, StefanMUC said:

It was actually a creation of de Coubertin himself, introduced in 1912.

So, after more than a century, it would be a good moment to review this? Especially since all other parts of the MP have undergone sometimes drastic changes in the last few decades to make it more TV friendly and guarantee its Olympic existence.

TV? Heh, I've never ever seen a clip of that event on TV before. I've only ever seen it on streams in the last two Olympics.

So I was wrong about its introduction, but you can't deny the existence of the sport is meant to be a callback to the Ancient Olympics.

Would you know how long Modern Pentathlon has used that "American Gladiators" "Eliminator" type finale known as the Laser Run? To those unfamiliar with the sport, I've explained the Laser Run as working like the Eliminator, where the points earned in the previous events convert to how much a head start the leader has from you.

I like the Laser Run myself, it's kind of like a Summer Biathlon, the Biathlon is a very underrated event on this side of the world.

[StefanMUC]

Maybe for two or three Olympics now?  Biathlon is the clear role model for it, not surprising given that until the 90s, MP and biathlon were under the same federation (already then led by the guy who still heads the MP federation now).

[baron-pierreIV]

How about camel races instead?  I bet they've never had women camel drivers.  

This section could be dedicated to Lawrence of Arabia!!    Tut-tut. tut-tut!! 

[Sir Rols]

4 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

This section could be dedicated to Lawrence of Arabia!!    Tut-tut. tut-tut!! 

You know that pics from Oz, M?

apparently we have more camels than Saudi Arabia, and are the only nation with wild camels. At least something imported thrives in our barren inland deserts. 

[baron-pierreIV]

27 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

You know that pics from Oz, M?

apparently we have more camels than Saudi Arabia, and are the only nation with wild camels. At least something imported thrives in our barren inland deserts. 

I did see the "Aussie" bib there.  OK, LLama or alpaca racing for the ladies, then!!  

[Brekkie Boy]

In 2024 the format is going to be shrunk further into about 90 minutes, which surely puts even more pressure on the welfare situation when it comes to the showjumping.   I think the current format works quite well as with the swimming, fencing and showjumping earlier broadcasters can package that up neatly or dip in throughout the morning before the final laser run.

 

The way it's going they'll probably have to do a length of the pool on each lap before long.