Modern pentathlon obstacle course details announced
- Published
Great Britain's Joe Choong has signed a letter sent to modern pentathlon's governing body protesting the changes
A rope swing, monkey bars and a "tsunami wall" will be among the challenges facing athletes as part of changes to modern pentathlon.
Obstacle course racing is set to be part of a modern pentathlon competition for the first time next month at a test event in Ankara, Turkey.
Show jumping was removed by UIPM, the sport's international governing body, after the Tokyo Olympics.
However there have been protests at the decision.
Pentathlon United - a group against 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.
But UIPM said the obstacle course discipline was being included as it appealed to "all age groups including youth" and was "dynamic and attractive to global audiences".
It will replace the equestrian element in the Olympic modern pentathlon line-up from the 2028 Los Angeles Games if approved at November's UIPM Congress.
The test event in Turkey will involve two to four athletes racing each other over a course up to 100 metres long with as many as 10 obstacles which could include:
Ascending steps
Rope swing
1.5m wall
Monkey bars
Offset steps
0.5m low crawl
Rings rig
Under-over-under-over
Wheels rig
Balance beam
Angled ladders
"Tsunami" curved wall
The "tsunami wall" would be a climbed finish to the course.
UIPM described the addition of the discipline as "the biggest shake-up of the Olympic sport in its 110-year history".
"Athletes have been invited to run, walk, climb, crawl, slither, scramble or otherwise propel themselves to the finish line of a bespoke course in Ankara next month," UIPM added.
Equestrian was dropped from the sport after German coach Kim Raisner struck a horse at last year's Tokyo Games when it refused to jump a fence, which led to widespread criticism.
Eccentric exercise: Is muscle-lengthening more effective than muscle-contracting?
The dumbest genre in entertainment?: Delve into the history of reality TV and its effects on our lives
