Have your say in shaping our sport: UIPM Secretary General’s Message

Athletes and coaches of the UIPM movement, this is your time to stand up and make your voices heard.

We are looking for 13 nominations for two important democratic institutions – the UIPM Athletes Committee and UIPM Coaches Committee. And thanks to the changes made to our Election Rules were changed in 2018, more candidates have the opportunity to express themselves.

Let’s look at the UIPM Athletes Committee first.

This is an opportunity that our athletes treasure; I truly believe pentathletes want to have their voices heard when it comes to our sporting movement. We are blessed with many intelligent, educated role models in the athlete community who have strong opinions and the ability to influence.

And with so much uncertainty in the sporting world right now, so many challenges to overcome, it has never been more important that our global movement is represented by strong-minded individuals with a passion for Modern Pentathlon.

This year, as we look forward to the return of UIPM competitions a little later than expected, we don’t only have one position on the Athletes Committee up for grabs. There are seven places to be occupied for the next Olympic cycle, and all of them will be decided by election during the UIPM 2021 Pentathlon and Laser Run World Championships in Cairo (EGY) in June.

I’m excited to see who will come forward, especially as we already have 12 excellent nominations from last year, when we didn’t have the opportunity to arrange a vote. Don’t forget that not only will the successful candidates sit on the AC for an Olympic cycle, there may also be the opportunity for one of them to chair the committee and take a seat on the UIPM Executive Board, where Aya Medany has made an excellent contribution since she became Chair of the AC in 2017.

The same applies to the Coaches Committee, where there are six places available for the next Olympic cycle and also subject to an election in Cairo (EGY). This is where the voice of experience really counts.

UIPM is fortunate to have a global community of highly skilled and dedicated coaches – I’ve been to the World Coaches Conference in Manchester (GBR) enough times to know the depth of knowledge and expertise that lies within this group of people.

It’s time for the voice of experience to be heard, so I’m hoping we will see a wide array of nominations from across all continents. Same as the Athletes Committee, there may be an opportunity not only to sit on the CC but also the UIPM EB, as Christian Roudaut has done in recent years with so much authority.

I would encourage all NFs to nominate candidates with the vision, patience and motivation to fulfil these positions. It is important that our athletes and coaches speak for themselves and join UIPM in our mission to shape the sport in the best possible way.

National Federations must apply to the UIPM Secretary General on behalf of all interested athletes and coaches by 9 March 2021.

Click below to download a nomination form (Word or PDF) and the UIPM Athletes and Coaches Election Guidelines.

2021 UIPM Election - Nomination_template (Word)

2021 UIPM Election - Nomination_template (PDF)

2021 UIPM Athletes and Coaches election guidelines

You can also find out more at the UIPM Elections page.