Modern Pentathlon Ready for Versailles Spotlight, Farewell to Equestrian

Organizers for the 2024 Olympic Summer Games have repeatedly touted its master plan of using iconic French landmarks as temporary sports venues that will mix athleticism with stunning backdrops.

The Château de Versailles, once home to Louis XIV and later used by Napoleon as a summer residence, will be temporarily repurposed into a sports venue with that plan in mind. It is on the 800-acre site of Versailles that equestrian and all but one discipline of modern pentathlon will be organized, something those involved in the sport hope will garner buzz on social media that will bring an extra spotlight to their athletes.

“It’s a huge selling point,” said USA Modern Pentathlon Chief Executive Officer Rob Stull. “It’s iconic, it’s historic. What I tell people is Paris is the city of light and they are going to bathe the world in light.”

This summer will be Stull’s 16th Olympic Games in some form of involvement with modern pentathlon and “when I first got into it, it had a strong military background but an egalitarian piece,” he said. “A regular guy can do the sport, you didn’t have to be Daddy Warbucks to do it. Versailles adds that element of history, of elegance. It elevates the event. … if we were at a regular modern pentathlon venue, it would not have that. In Paris, you think Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower and Versailles. To be there, we’re very fortunate.”

“Being at the Versailles Palace to compete at that venue and hopefully people get to see in its entirety, I’m really excited for people to be able to come watch it and experience it,” U.S. athlete Jessica Davis said Tuesday at the Team USA Media Summit in New York City.

The modern pentathlon is the successor to the ancient pentathlon, which comprised running, jumping, javelin, discus and wrestling. Modern pentathlon has been in the Games since 1912 and was a favorite of modern Olympic Games founder Pierre de Coubertin. In Paris, the four competitions from August 8–11 will include 200-meter swimming, fencing, running and shooting plus equestrian riding. The fencing ranking round will take place in the North Paris Arena and is the only discipline not at Versailles.

“While we are a little bit of an aristocratic sport, to be in a venue like this is a bit different,” said Klaus Schormann, UIPM president. “This is an arena that will be temporary and I think when we speak of that, people say ‘wow, you are in Versailles.’ We have a heritage in ancient time to present time. Therefore, it has strong meaning for us.”

It is the equestrian portion that thrusted the sport into the Olympic spotlight in Tokyo when a horse was punched by a German coach after it refused to jump a fence. The coach, Kim Raisner, was sent home from Tokyo after German athlete Annika Schleu, who was in medal condition before the competition, was in tears post-confrontation.

“We had the incident in Tokyo and that was the icing on the cake, we had to make a change,” said Stull, a three-time Olympian in the sport in 1984, 1988 and 1992. “I had mixed feelings because I was sentimental because of my background with the horses. I hated to see it go, but it was necessary for the evolution of the sport.”

The UIPM voted in November 2022 to replace equestrian riding with obstacle racing and, after fears it would be dropped from the Olympic program, had its spot in the 2028 Los Angeles Games confirmed in October 2023 with expectations high in the modern pentathlon community of increased participation.

“I come from equestrian, so obviously it’s a sad moment to see your sport change,” Davis said. “I also look at it as a graduating class, we’re finishing in a home that was Pierre de Coubertin’s country and it’ll bring new eyes to the sport.”

Schormann added in the future, instead of athletes blaming a bad draw on horse assignments, “you have nowhere to make an excuse” in obstacle racing: “We are enlarging our multi-sport society enormously not only by nations but participants while reducing the costs, which is what the IOC has been asking.”

And with the first post-Paris Games being in the United States, it will also be another big chance for modern pentathlon to get attention which it may not otherwise receive.

“We know the biggest showcase with the new format will be given to Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games,” Schormann said. “We also need the strong support in the development of our national federation in the United States to do a lot to have strong athletes. The United States has always had strong athletes. This obstacle part is very popular. They know what it means for the host country to deliver. We hope this is a big move and a big push for our American colleagues.”