Modern pentathlon: Obstacle racing to be tested as sport looks to replace show jumping
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Show jumping is at risk of being replaced in Modern Pentathlon
Two variations of obstacle racing will be tested as modern pentathlon searches for show jumping's replacement.
The discipline was removed by the UIPM, the sport's international governing body, after a German coach was seen striking a horse at the Tokyo Olympics.
However, Pentathlon United - a group protesting show jumping's removal - says the sport is in "crisis" and needs an independent investigation.
There were more than 60 proposals for the sport's new fifth discipline.
The UIPM said the obstacle discipline was selected because it was "compatible with the DNA of modern pentathlon", as well as for reduced costs, participation and accessibility, popularity among the young and its attractiveness to global audiences.
Testing will begin after the World Cup final in June, after which a decision on show jumping's replacement will be taken by the UIPM congress.
The changes would not impact Paris 2024, but come into effect for 2028 in Los Angeles.
British Olympic champion Joe Choong is among those to sign a letter to International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach that states athletes past and present have "lost faith" in those leading the sport.
The UIPM said it took the decision to remove show jumping in order to safeguard the sport's Olympic status, but modern pentathlon was subsequently left off the provisional list of sports for the 2028 Games. A decision over the fifth discipline remains pending.
Former world champion Yasser Hefny, the chairman of the UIPM athletes committee, said: "After many months of detailed talks, we are on the brink of a landmark decision that would change the history of Modern Pentathlon - the sport we all love, forever.
"When the mandate to explore the possibility to replace riding from our sport was first announced, my fellow athletes worldwide had a lot of questions and concerns.
"I believe the new fifth discipline working group has been very thorough in evaluating the options put forward by our community, using internal and external expertise to good effect."
On Saturday Japan's Taishu Sato was shown a yellow card for protesting against the situation at the Pentathlon World Cup in Budapest by wearing a t-shirt with the message 'Keep Riding and Change the Rules'.
The Pentathlon United letter calls on the IOC to conduct a "comprehensive, independent investigation into standards of governance and probity of the UIPM" and into the decision about the sport's fifth discipline.
The letter claims a survey of 310 past and present athletes revealed 95% are unhappy with the change of the fifth discipline while 90% feel the UIPM is not able to "build a strong future for the sport".
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