73rd UIPM Congress: Robert Stull OLY (USA) elected as UIPM President

• Two-sport Olympian celebrates the ‘capstone’ of his career as he looks ahead to LA28
• Runner-up Sharif El Erian (EGY) narrowly misses out in dramatic election
• Outgoing President Schormann pays tribute to his successor

Robert Stull OLY of United States has been elected to serve as President of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).

Mr Stull takes over from Dr Klaus Schormann on November 18 and he will serve for four years until 2028, a tenure that will include the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games taking place in his home country.

Taking place at the end of the first day of the 73rd UIPM Congress, the election was extraordinarily dramatic. In the first round, Sharif El Erian of Egypt won 42 votes, Stull (USA) won 38 and Joel Bouzou of France was eliminated after winning 22 votes.

In the second round, El Erian (EGY) again scored the highest with 51 votes, one more than the 50 votes of Stull (USA), with one abstention. This caused loud celebrations and congratulations from supporters of the UIPM Vice President, but according to Article 10.2 of the UIPM Election Rules, where the rule of absolute majority applies:

“Absolute majority” requires the successful candidate to receive at least one more than half of the total number of votes cast. In assessing the total number of votes cast in relation to a requirement for an absolute majority, odd numbers are to be rounded up.

A third round of voting was organised, and this time Stull (USA) won 53 votes against 48 for El Erian (EGY), with one abstention.

Robert Stull OLY enjoys the distinction of being a two-sport Olympian, having competed for the United States in both Fencing and Modern Pentathlon. Having been President of the NORCECA (North America, Central America & Caribbean) Confederation since 2016, the 62-year-old became the unofficial ‘voice of the sport’ in recent years by working as an competition announcer all around the world.

Following his dramatic election, President Stull said: “First and foremost, I want to thank the other candidates. They are class acts and their life stories are incredible, so I think the voters couldn’t go wrong.

“It was a great race and it was like a sporting event. It’s the capstone of my career, for sure. I started in Modern Pentathlon when I was 17 and here I am. The shoes that I have to fill are impossible to fill, and I’m grateful to President Klaus Schormann for everything he has done for our movement.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet. The rules are the rules and, at the end of the day, that’s the way it went. There was a five-vote margin at the end, which is still very close.

“We have to get right to work, because Paris 2024 was phenomenal for Modern Pentathlon. The bar has been raised, and we have to meet that bar. We will get straight to work.

“It’s exciting with the new fifth discipline, and it’s here now. There are more opportunities for Modern Pentathlon now. Every sport has to innovate, but we have done that innovation and now it’s time to reap the rewards. I will man the helm and we will work with a great team and go from there.”

The outgoing President, Dr Klaus Schormann, added: “Today at the end of the first day of our Congress in Riyadh, we saw a very fair contest between three candidates for UIPM President. They competed with each other as athletes and in this election they said, ‘OK, now we have another competition’.

“After three rounds we had the winner, Rob Stull. I think all three had a lot of qualities but it’s very fitting that we have the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, in 2028, and this can help the Union in the way that we are working with the Organising Committee and the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

“Rob has a lot of experience based on having been at almost all competitions in recent years, so he knows the grassroots, he knows the leaders, he knows all about the changes in our sport and it’s important that the leader has this deep knowledge. He is a well-connected, friendly person and that’s what you need to be a President.

“I really mean it, Rob is a very open-minded person and we know that all the nations that supported him will give him big support. At the same time, all those who voted for Sharif will also be respectful and working closely with Rob.

“I wish him good luck, and I offer to him that in whatever position I will fulfil in future, I will always be available to help. I will continue in that way, I spent my whole life on that, and will not disappear.”

UIPM 2024 Congress concludes tomorrow (17 November) with the remainder of the Elections, which will determine the composition of a new Executive Board with President Stull at the helm.

All results of motions voted on during this Congress will be covered in a news release on 17 November.