The decision has been made that horse riding will no longer be an element of the modern pentathlon after the Paris Olympic Games 2024. The change was initiated by concerns over equine welfare at Tokyo 2020, centred largely around an incident involving the treatment of a horse called Saint Boy. The sport has included swimming, fencing, running, shooting and riding since 1912, and is meant to show an athlete’s ability and moral conduct. The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) intends to demonstrate its commitment to equine welfare by making this change, and the replacement sport hasn’t yet been confirmed.
