Modern Pentathlon at Paris 2024 Olympic Games: President’s Welcome

Here we are in Paris, 100 years after this dazzling city first held the Olympic Games and 112 years since Modern Pentathlon became part of the world’s most powerful and iconic celebration of sport. Together with our athletes we are ready to honour and savour this very special moment in our lives.

On behalf of the UIPM Executive Board I welcome the world to the regal setting of the Park of Versailles for a Modern Pentathlon competition that will also be steeped in historic significance. This was the city, of course, where Baron Pierre de Coubertin was born, in the 7th arrondisement in 1863; where the great innovator inspired the revival of the Olympic movement in 1894, with the founding of the International Olympic Committee during a ceremony at the University of Sorbonne.

You are watching the world’s most challenging sport today because Coubertin also had the vision to create one sport especially for the Games, one that would respect the heritage of the ancient Olympic movement. You can see with your own eyes the incredible legacy he left by creating a sport that would test all physical and mental skills to identify the ‘ideal, complete athlete’.

So why is this particular edition of the Olympic Modern Pentathlon historic? Well, one reason is that our athletes will compete in Riding for the last time, saying farewell to a beloved discipline before our sport takes a bold leap into the future. That future includes a very popular, accessible and commercially attractive urban sport, obstacle racing, which will add spectacular value to Pentathlon and the wider Olympic movement in four years’ time in Los Angeles.

This does not mean that we are waiting until 2028 to provide you with an exciting show! No, in Paris you will see the result of three decades of evolution, a Modern Pentathlon where all five disciplines can be watched in one venue within 90 minutes. Our sport has come a long way already, as you will see from the coverage provided by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and the international media.

As we cherish this centenary Olympic Games, we can be very proud of all athletes who gave everything in pursuit of the right to be here. I can guarantee that the 36 female and 36 male pentathletes who have been selected to represent their countries will have a special experience, and in turn provide a compelling show for spectators watching from the tribunes in North Paris Arena and Versailles, and for the billions watching on television and online.

After the unusual experience of Tokyo 2020 where spectators were sadly prevented from taking their seats in an incredible venue, a sold-out Pentathlon Stadium in Versailles promises to provide a captivating experience that underlines the unique appeal of our sport. I congratulate not only the athletes on the start list but also their National Olympic Committees, coaches and support staff and National Federation administrators, without whom it would not have been possible for them to attend competitions and perform at the highest level to secure qualification.

I wish all of them, and all of you, the very best of days in Paris – let us share an unforgettable Olympic experience.

Dr Klaus Schormann

UIPM President