Embracing the obstacles: A new era begins for modern pentathlon

While it is common for Olympic sports to experiment with new formats, few will have embarked upon changes as monumental as those that are being ushered in by modern pentathlon.

Indeed, for different reasons, the Paris 2024 Olympics represented a watershed for the multisport, which was created specifically for the Games 112 years earlier. For the 63,000-plus spectators in attendance and the millions more watching worldwide, a new condensed 90-minute competition was on show, with the iconic setting of the Palace of Versailles helping to capture the imagination.

However, an even greater change will be noticeable when global audiences tune in again for the Los Angeles Olympics in less than four years’ time.

In Paris, showjumping featured for the final time alongside the disciplines of fencing and swimming, and the combined running and shooting ‘laser run’. In its place will be ‘obstacle’ – a thrilling ninja-style sprint contest in which competitors encounter everything from monkey bars and tilting ladders to balance beams and swinging globes in a race against each other and against the clock.

Global governing body UIPM formally integrated obstacle into modern pentathlon at its congress two years ago after a dedicated working group considered more than 60 disciplines as a possible replacement for showjumping. Since then, obstacle – an amalgamation of the established obstacle course racing (OCR) and ninja formats – has featured in all six junior and youth World Championships. It will be fully integrated into senior modern pentathlon competitions starting with the World Cup season-opener in Cairo in February 2025.

Accessibility and excitement

When asked to reflect on the impact of obstacle on junior and youth events so far, UIPM Secretary General Shiny Fang highlights “accessibility and excitement” as key attributes.

“The increased accessibility enabled participants from more countries to train and compete, while attracting new audiences to a sport that they would find more compelling and understandable,” Fang says. “The first two seasons of modern pentathlon with obstacle at junior and youth level added a new dimension to our social output as well as TV coverage, providing a tantalising glimpse of the content the world will see when obstacle debuts in senior pentathlon.”

Inevitably, there has been opposition to as well as support for such a consequential move.

However, few dispute the fact that the development is transformative for a multisport that has had to fight several times to retain its cherished Olympic status. Now, advocates of the change, as well as established pentathletes and Olympic medallists such as Élodie Clouvel, Seong Seung-min, Ahmed El-Gendy and Laura Asadauskaite, have spoken about the need to focus on the future.

“There are over three million people in the US alone competing in obstacle disciplines and there are approximately 400 ninja gyms in the US,” USA Pentathlon chair Tom Shepard says. “We have started our work on engaging that population.

“This evolution gives us the confidence to go to our National Olympic Committee and say, ‘we have immediate potential to go to the sponsor community and say this is new and exciting’. We can also approach people who have never heard about the sport, nor participated, and say, ‘try it – it’s more accessible and it’s really fun’, and we can develop models that give them a chance to access it in a way that has never been done before.

“We’ve had standalone obstacle events here [in the US] and the participation numbers and excitement around them have been tremendous. This change can take us from being a national federation of very modest size and membership to one that has potential to grow very rapidly.”

According to Fang, the latest changes demonstrate the governing body’s “commitment to innovation, accessibility and audience engagement, while reinforcing a longer-term effort to make sport safer and more sustainable”.

She adds: “Multisport is for everyone, and participants of all ages and levels should be supported to achieve their full potential. By the same token, all sports fans around the world should be able to watch athletes undertaking the ultimate test of body and mind. Both of these aspirations are now a reality.”

New generations

Obstacle’s arrival means the skillsets required to become a modern pentathlete have changed significantly. However, this is also viewed as an unprecedented opportunity to engage new generations.

“We are going to get dynamically younger,” Shepard says. “The peak for our athletes has been maybe late 20s or early 30s, but I honestly think it’s going to skew quite a bit younger in the future.”

Research suggests this shift will also be reflected in the multisport’s audiences. According to a 2023 poll of 1,500 US citizens by YouGov, 45% of Generation Z respondents and 41% of Millennials said they would be more likely to watch the Olympics if the Games featured a ninja-style obstacle race. 

Fang adds: “By modernising the format, especially with the inclusion of obstacle, UIPM signals to commercial and media partners that it values a dynamic, fast-paced and spectator-friendly sport. These changes make Modern Pentathlon more appealing to younger demographics and new markets, offering partners a chance to align with a sport that embraces progress, inclusivity and global growth potential.”

Commercial implications

From a commercial perspective, one immediate benefit is familiarity. Many observers of obstacle will draw similarities with the established and globally popular ‘Ninja Warrior’ TV show or its predecessor ‘Sasuke’, which has aired in Japan since the late 1990s.

Shepard, who has years of experience in sports marketing, including a lone tenure as the executive vice-president of global merchant partnerships and sponsorships at Visa International, outlines the “significant commercial implications”.

He says: “We have to be relevant to appeal to participants, consumers, and potential partners and sponsors. I envisage a time in the not-too-distant future when there is more sponsorship/partnership money flowing through this sport, as a result of the increased participation, visibility and media exposure. Our athletes have been said to be some of the most versatile in the world. Companies with versatility want to align with those equities.”

According to Fang, the transformation of the multisport has elevated it “from a road to the expressway” in creating “immediate commercial opportunities, instantly taking us into an exciting new realm of pioneer partnerships”.

She adds: “For both short-term and long-term commercial success, UIPM will focus on attracting brands that align with our vision of innovation, inclusivity and global growth. The exciting thing is that the jigsaw puzzle of a sponsorship inventory is still being built, piece by piece.

“Obstacle creates a new world of opportunity for sponsors, who throughout the 2028 cycle will see the emergence of new types of competition, a new generation of talent and a rebranded Olympic multisport. And after the LA28 Olympics, we will have a more mature portfolio from which to offer new types of partnership.

“Brands can align themselves with a dynamic, fast-growing sport that appeals to youth culture and the fitness-oriented community. We will leverage this by offering sponsors tailored packages that highlight their commitment to youth development, inclusivity and innovation, allowing partners to engage with a fresh, enthusiastic audience through events, digital content and grassroots initiatives.”

Roadmap

Of course, significant challenges remain on the roadmap; not least the need to encourage and educate individuals who are primarily obstacle athletes to become proficient in fencing, swimming, running and shooting. After all, few pentathletes are blessed with a natural ability to excel across all of the disciplines from the outset.

“It was an eye-opener in Paris, where the quality and the physicality of the athletes I saw was head and shoulders above anything I had seen before. So, I think we have to be a little bit patient,” Shepard says.

“Our current participation numbers are low. Pentathlon is the only sport that was developed specifically for the Olympics and, as a result, was not played in elementary schools in the US. But we should remember that kids love to  play on ‘jungle gyms’. We have an extremely exciting window of opportunity. We see many communities now building accessible obstacle courses for the public to enjoy in the US.”

Fang echoes this sentiment, saying: “The change enlarges our base by opening doors for participants of all backgrounds, embracing communities with different socio-economic conditions that our sport has traditionally struggled to reach. Certainly the new discipline reaches younger athletes, with their natural urge to overcome all kinds of obstacles, but this is not a joy confined to childhood.”

UIPM plans to take “solid incremental steps” in 2025 and 2026 with an acknowledgement that it will “take some time to bed in across competition and training”, Fang says.

“The opportunity is obvious and merits aggressive investment,” she adds. “Where we could never provide horses to nations, we have started distributing and supporting the purchase of obstacle equipment, negotiating down prices in the equipment market and enabling our national federations to buy full obstacle courses at a very reasonable cost.”

Many will understandably look ahead to LA28 as a litmus test for modern pentathlon’s new era.

“I anticipate us growing in popularity significantly and I think LA will do a great job and we’ll get a huge bump,” Shepard says.

Meanwhile, Fang anticipates an event that is “even more exciting and dramatic than Paris”. She says: “Los Angeles is the home of ‘American Ninja Warrior’ and we couldn’t think of a better place to introduce a ninja-style obstacle race to the Olympic Games. We are gaining knowledge and sharing it with our partners at LA28 as we develop the direction of the vision event to event.”

Kian O’Boyle, 20 – American who became the first obstacle world record-holder in the 2023 Modern Pentathlon Junior World Championships

Malak Ismail, 19 – Egyptian who became senior African champion in 2023 and finished 12th in her debut Olympics at Paris 2024

How did you get into modern pentathlon?

KOB: “I was introduced to modern pentathlon by Altitude Movement, the obstacle gym I train at, which hosted the obstacle portion of the USA Modern Pentathlon National Championships. I was invited to attend a training camp at the Olympic training centre in Colorado Springs because of my background in swimming, running, and obstacle preceding this competition. After winning the national championships in the junior division, I went all in, attending several international competitions in the coming months. I can say with certainty that I would never have been introduced to modern pentathlon if not for the introduction of obstacle as a new discipline.”

MI: “I competed last year in youth and junior categories and I am very excited to face this new challenge [of obstacle] after the Paris 2024 Olympic cycle! Here in Egypt there are lots of training opportunities and I am sure the EgyptianModern Pentathlon Federation will do their best to support me and the team in the 2028 cycle.”

What does obstacle bring to modern pentathlon?

MI: “It helps modern pentathlon to become more famous, and the training cost will be less than before, which will make it easier to participate in most countries.”

KOB: “Obstacle has the potential to be incredibly entertaining due to its fast-paced, action-packed nature. In modern pentathlon, obstacle course racing often leads to tight competition, with athletes battling side by side. The potential for a failure that instantly changes the outcome of the race will keep spectators on the edge of their seats.”

Do you believe obstacle complements modern pentathlon’s other disciplines?

MI: “The new generation enjoys obstacle a lot. The combination [of disciplines] is perfect for younger athletes.”

KOB: “Modern pentathlon has always been about developing well-rounded, complete athletes by combining a range of distinct disciplines. The obstacle discipline tests agility, strength, problem-solving, and endurance in ways that complement the other events. Obstacle demands a specialised skillset – including grip strength, upper-body control and dynamic movement – that athletes don’t usually encounter in traditional sports.

“What makes the obstacle discipline particularly unique in the context of modern pentathlon is its potential for variety. It’s the only discipline where the course can change, requiring athletes to adapt to new challenges each time they encounter it. The sport’s evolution is something I’m excited to be a part of.”

What do you believe will be the impact of introducing obstacle into all modern pentathlon competitions?

KOB: “I think we will see who is truly a complete athlete. At the junior level, obstacle has been embraced by many of the athletes leading to astonishing performances, and my world record being toppled at the 2024 Modern Pentathlon Junior World Championships. Obstacle as an independent sport is growing rapidly, especially in younger participants. This will create a larger pool for modern pentathlon from which the sport can recruit in the future.”

What are your hopes for your future in the sport?

MI: “I am very excited for the next four years ahead of Los Angeles. I hope I can be like the younger athletes now in obstacle. They are more experienced now because they have been training obstacle for a while, but the training is very exciting.”

KOB: “I am excited about the work that USA Pentathlon is doing, including developing a residential training programme. I plan to train there to qualify for the 2028 Olympics and beyond. With dedicated training and coaching staff, I hope to win world championships not only in modern pentathlon, but also in obstacle course racing and ninja.”