Modern pentathlon at the Summer Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Modern pentathlon at the Summer Olympics |
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| Governing body | UIPM |
| Events | 2 (men: 1; women: 1) |
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The Modern pentathlon is an exciting sport you can see at the Summer Olympic Games. It's a unique event where athletes compete in five different sports all in one day!
Contents
History of Modern Pentathlon
How the Sport Started
The modern pentathlon was created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who also started the modern Olympic Games. He was inspired by the ancient pentathlon from the Ancient Olympic Games. That old event tested the skills of a perfect soldier back then.
Coubertin wanted to create a new sport that would test a modern soldier's skills. It combined sports that were popular with the upper class, like fencing, pistol shooting, and horse riding. It also included more common sports like running and swimming. The first modern pentathlon competition was held at the 1912 Summer Olympics.
The Five Events
As of 2021, the five events in modern pentathlon are:
- Épée fencing: This is a sword-fighting sport.
- 200 meter freestyle swimming: Athletes swim as fast as they can.
- show jumping with an unfamiliar horse: Riders must guide a horse they don't know over obstacles.
- 3 km cross country running: A long-distance running race.
- Pistol shooting: This is now done with a laser pistol, combined with running.
Changes Over Time
For many years, the modern pentathlon stayed mostly the same. But since the 1980s, it has changed a lot. People wondered if it should stay in the Olympics.
Starting with the 1996 Summer Olympics, all five parts of the pentathlon were held on the same day. Before that, they were spread out over five days. Also in 1996, the men's team competition was removed from the Olympics. Women first competed in modern pentathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
More changes happened later. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, the pistol shooting part was combined with the 3 km run. Then, for the 2012 Summer Olympics, athletes started using laser guns for shooting. This made the running and shooting into one combined event, called the laser-run.
Even with these changes, some people still thought the sport was old-fashioned. To make it more exciting, the sport's main group, the UIPM, made more changes. They decided to have all five events take place in one stadium. This was first done at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Horse Riding Debates
The horse riding event has always been a topic of discussion. When the sport first started, Baron de Coubertin wanted athletes to ride horses provided by the hosts. But the Swedish organizers for the 1912 Games thought competitors should bring their own horses.
Later, for the 1988 Summer Olympics, the cross-country riding event was changed to show jumping. This meant riders had to guide a horse over obstacles in an arena.
In November 2021, the UIPM announced a big change: show jumping will no longer be part of the Olympic modern pentathlon after the 2024 Summer Olympics. This decision came after an incident at the 2020 Games where a coach was seen hitting a horse. Many athletes were upset by this decision and felt they weren't included in the discussion.
Events in the Olympics
Modern pentathlon has been a continuous part of the Olympic program since 1912. For many years, only men competed. The women's event was added much later, starting at the 2000 Games.
| Event | 12 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's individual | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 26 |
| Men's team | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 11 | |||||||||||||||
| Women's individual | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total Events | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Medal Table
This table shows which countries have won the most medals in modern pentathlon at the Summer Olympics.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hungary (HUN) |
9 | 8 | 6 | 23 |
| 2 |  Sweden (SWE) |
9 | 7 | 5 | 21 |
| 3 |  Soviet Union (URS) |
5 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| 4 |  Great Britain (GBR) |
4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 5 |  Russia (RUS) |
4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 |  Poland (POL) |
3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 |  Italy (ITA) |
2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 8 |  Germany (GER) |
2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 |  Lithuania (LTU) |
1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 |  Czech Republic (CZE) |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 |  Australia (AUS) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Kazakhstan (KAZ) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 |  United States (USA) |
0 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 14 |  Finland (FIN) |
0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 15 |  France (FRA) |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 16 |  Czechoslovakia (TCH) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Unified Team (EUN) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 18 |  China (CHN) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Egypt (EGY) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Latvia (LAT) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Ukraine (UKR) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 22 |  Belarus (BLR) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 23 |  Brazil (BRA) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Mexico (MEX) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 South Korea (KOR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (25 entries) | 42 | 42 | 42 | 126 | |
Nations and Athletes
Many different countries and athletes have taken part in modern pentathlon at the Olympics over the years. Since 1912, more than 60 nations have sent athletes to compete in this challenging sport. Over 800 athletes have participated in total!
See also
In Spanish: Pentatlón moderno en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños
- List of Olympic venues in modern pentathlon
