UIPM 2019 Global Laser Run City Tour: Pentathlon links grow stronger in Lviv (UKR)

Nearly 300 athletes from seven regions flocked to Lviv in the west of Ukraine on September 15 to join one of the world’s fastest-growing urban sports movements.

On the same day the World Urban Games was taking place 600km away in Budapest (HUN), with Laser Run on the programme as a showcase sport, 289 competitors gathered with their coaches, parents, teammates and friends for Ukraine’s latest Global Laser Run City Tour.

They competed in categories from Under 9 to Masters 40+ on a day of breathless activity at the SKA sports club.

The links between Modern Pentathlon and Laser Run are becoming stronger all the time, with the first combined UIPM World Championships also taking place during the same month. Yuri Mershi, head coach to Ukraine’s national Modern Pentathlon team, underlined this when he addressed the audience at the opening ceremony.

He said: “Lviv has strong Pentathlon traditions and big potential, and Laser Run has become one of the most popular competitions in Ukraine.

“I would like to say thanks to UIPM for the great support of our sport. Because of UIPM, more and more athletes can join our sport through the Laser Run competitions format.”

The head of Lviv’s Regional Sport and Physical Culture Department, Himiak Roman, added: “This competition format is very modern, dynamic and fun which is very good for all ages, not only for children.”

The head of the Ukrainian Military Summer Sport Centres, Senik Ruslan, recalled that Lviv had produced many famous pentathletes such as Pavel Lednev and said he hoped the next generation of athletes would become legends of Modern Pentathlon as well.

A spokesperson for the local organising committee said: “Good weather and well-prepared athletes made this day! Only positive emotions and friendly atmosphere were on show at the venue.”

The Global Laser Run City Tour was created in 2017 to provide an entry point to UIPM Sports for people of all ages in urban communities around the world.

Another 100 cities were selected in 2019 as hosts of the GLRCT or the Biathle-Triathle National Tour. The full calendar can be viewed at the UIPM website, where you can also find more information on UIPM’s various multi-discipline sports.

In September, the UIPM Laser Run World Championships was incorporated into the Pentathlon World Championships for the first time in Budapest (HUN), where Laser Run also featured as a showcase sport at the 1st World Urban Games.

In December, Laser Run and Triathle will both feature for the first time in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines.

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