Talk about closing the barn door after the horse is gone…
In the wake of a horse abuse scandal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the International Modern Pentathlon Union is working toward a “successful” show jumping phase at next year’s Olympics in Paris before riding is replaced in that sport for the 2028 Games.
Union members promised, after setting up “a riding review panel,” that they have a “full commitment” to making sure horse selection, course design and athlete performances are done properly as riding makes its last appearance in the sport in 2024. Why wasn’t this done years ago? There were always some not-so-pretty pictures from the riding portion of pentathlon over the years.
But the sport had its profile raised in a negative way that made headlines around the world when a German coach at the Tokyo Olympics punched a horse that had refused a jump with a rider who was leading the competition to that point. The publicity reflected negatively on all horse sports, with many critics not understanding the difference between pentathlon and the Olympic disciplines of show jumping, eventing and dressage, where riders are highly skilled and have spent years (rather than minutes) with their horses.
The bad publicity is a big concern, as “social license” to operate takes on more importance while horse sport deals with the necessity of public approval for what it does.
Pentathlon riding camps geared to sharpening participants’ skills will be staged prior to the Paris Games. That is where the equestrian discipline will be held for the final time before being dropped in favor of having participants negotiate an obstacle course on foot in future compeittions.
Qualification for the Games will be closely monitored to insure capability of those who compete in the riding phase during the Olympics. In Paris, the pentathlon has been revised to run in 90 minutes with riding and its other components: shooting, running, swimming and fencing.
Although many athletes objected, the Union’s Congress in 2021 approved a proposal to remove riding. The Union’s leaders were criticized for lack of transparency.
While modern pentathlon has been a part of the Games since1912, it is not yet on the schedule of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, despite plans to drop riding from the format.
More attention always should have been paid to the riding aspect, where participants had to deal with the luck of the draw in the horses they rode in the segment. The fences also were too high for athletes who were not specialists in riding.