UIPM unveils new Codes of Conduct for athletes, coaches and technical officials

• New standards adopted during Joint Committees Meeting in Frankfurt (GER)
• Proposed new format for 2022 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (SEN) to be tested
• Mixed Relay promotion to take centre stage throughout 2019 season

Three new Codes of Conduct for athletes, coaches and technical officials have been unveiled by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).

The standards were adopted during the 2nd Joint Committees Meeting, which brought together the Athletes Committee, Coaches Committee and Technical Committee for two days of talks which also involved the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Sports Department.

The release of three Codes of Conduct in time for the 2019 season was hailed as a landmark moment for UIPM Sports.

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: “I am proud that the UIPM Athletes Committee, Coaches Committee and Technical Committee have come together in a spirit of unity and shared purpose to create these new Codes of Conduct.

“We now have a strong set of standards for behaviour for all athletes, coaches and technical officials involved in our movement and we can also say that we have high standards of governance right across UIPM – some of the highest standards in the Olympic movement.

“The Codes of Conduct will ensure that all members of our global community take a responsibility for our reputation as an organisation that continually promotes clean sport and complete sport, protecting the heritage of our founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin.”

Aya Medany (EGY), Chair of the UIPM Athletes Committee and Member of the International Olympic Committee Athletes Commission, added: “The formation of a UIPM Code of Conduct for athletes is a great step forward. Pentathlon is already renowned as a sport that promotes fair play and good conduct and these standards will reinforce that.”

Charles Fernandez (GUA), who was appointed Deputy Chair of the UIPM Athletes Committee during the meeting in Frankfurt (GER), added: “As athletes we are very aware of the proud history of Pentathlon and our responsibility to promote positive values.

“I know that my fellow pentathletes will embrace this Code of Conduct and make sure that new generations are equally aware of the importance of high standards of behaviour.”

Another item high on the agenda at the Joint Committees Meeting was a proposed new Tetrathlon format for the 2022 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (SEN), the first Olympic Games to be held in Africa.

The aim of the new format would be to make the competition more dynamic and exciting for athletes and spectators, with a smoother flow and closer alignment with the development path of the UIPM Sports Pyramid.

Bram Schellekens, IOC Summer Sport Manager, made a presentation at the outset of the joint meeting outlining the IOC’s vision and direction in terms of YOG and Dakar 2022.

Mr Schellekens said: “The IOC welcomes the open and constructive dialogue with UIPM to work on a suitable format for Modern Pentathlon for the first YOG in Africa and we encourage UIPM to continue to use the YOG as an incubator for innovation.”

Janusz Peciak, the 1976 men’s Olympic champion, UIPM Executive Board Member for Sport and UIPM Technical Committee Chair, added: “The new Tetrathlon format has been perfect for the Youth Olympic Games and it mirrors the UIPM Youth World Championships format. However, there is always room for innovation.

“Now is the time to build on the popularity of our sport at the Youth Olympic Games and create an innovative and exciting new format that will provide a challenging test for our best youth athletes.”

The next steps involve the selection and organization of testing events, followed by detailed analysis of the results. Members of the three Committees that met in Frankfurt will follow up the tests during the competition season and report to the UIPM Executive Board, which will lead the decision-making process about the new format.

Other notable outcomes of the Joint Committees Meeting included:

• The Coaches Committee emphasized the importance of the Riding discipline in Pentathlon and agreed to establish new technical guidelines for National Federations and young athletes. More Riding camps will be arranged by UIPM for the forthcoming two seasons ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
• The Athletes Committee underlined a collective feeling of pride in Pentathlon’s reputation as a clean sport and renewed its commitment to the anti-doping movement, resolving to use all opportunities to help young generations of athletes to improve their education.
• Members of the Technical Committee stated their continuous commitment across all UIPM Sports and the application of consistent and fair judgement ahead of the forthcoming Olympic qualification season.