Cycling could replace horse riding in Modern Pentathlon after a controversial Tokyo Olympics scandal was experienced.
The decision was made in a secret vote when the sport was put in the spotlight after a German coach punched a horse. The sport came under scrutiny when a German coach punched a horse after it had refused to jump a fence. Since then, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne’s (UIPM) executive board has secretly decided that after 109 years, the sport of horse jumping will be replaced with cycling.
The decision has not yet been officially announced, however, the paper reported that the UIPM said: "As part of UIPM’s commitment to maintaining a strong, dynamic profile for modern pentathlon, a series of strategic meetings are being held. These meetings will include an upcoming call with national federations later this week. The outcome of these meetings will be detailed in a press release to be published on 4th November."
Despite this, countries have been speaking out against the potential, change saying it changes the sport entirely. While the sport isn't a household name it has been part of the Olympic Games since 1912 when it was invented by Pierre de Coubertin.
It was originally over five days but in more recent times has taken place over the same day with competitors being tested in cross-country running, swimming, fencing, pistol shooting and, of course, show jumping. It is not yet known what discipline of cycling will be used and the format if it does become part of the sport. Further details are set to be announced soon with cycling expected to be the new fifth element of the event.
The reason for the change seemingly stems from the backlash the sport received following the scenes of the coach of German competitor Annika Schleu, punching a horse who refused to jump. The incident garnered massive attention for the relatively obscure sport, which led animal-rights groups and fans to call for changes to avoid similar issues.
The coach, Kim Raisner, was subsequently thrown out of the Games. The incident took place after Schleu, who was in gold medal position, lost her chance of victory when the horse she was riding, Saint Boy, refused to jump one of the gates. That led to Schleu slipping out of the medals and dropping to finish in 31st position.
Team GB won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in both the men's and women's Modern Pentathlon with Joe Choong and Kate French coming out on top. Kate Allenby, a former modern pentathlete who won bronze for Great Britain in 2000 at the Sydney Games, said removing horse riding from the sport would be a "disaster." "This needs talking about because it's not a modern pentathlon if it hasn't got riding in it," she said.
While the UIPM denied that cycling would be included in the modern pentathlon, the animal-rights group PETA described such a move as an "Olympic-size win for horses" in a statement sent to Insider. "It doesn't hurt a bicycle to hit it or kick it, so this is an Olympic-size win for horses and cyclists. PETA thanks UIPM for acting swiftly on our recommendation to drop the horse component from the pentathlon and replace it with cycling," PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said.