The modern pentathlon is an Olympic multisport that currently consists of fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, laser pistol shooting, and cross country running. Equestrian will be replaced by a form of obstacle course racing at the 2028 Summer Olympics.
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente (five) and -athlon (competition). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games. Five events were contested over one day for the Ancient Olympic pentathlon, starting with the long jump, javelin throwing, and discus throwing, followed by the stadion and wrestling. Pentathletes were considered to be among the most skilled athletes, and their training was often part of military service—each of the five events in the pentathlon was thought to be useful in war or battle.
Modern pentathlon competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held on August 21 and August 22 at the Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Ying Tung Natatorium (swimming), and the Olympic Green Convention Center. Modern pentathlon contained five events; pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a 3 km cross-country run.
The modern pentathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London was held from 11 to 12 August 2012. The men's and women's events each involved 36 athletes. The venues for the events were the Copper Box (fencing), the Aquatics Centre (swimming), and Greenwich Park.
The modern pentathlon at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro took place from 19 to 20 August 2016 at Deodoro Aquatics Centre, Deodoro Stadium, and Youth Arena.
Aleksander Leonidovich Lesun is a Belarusian-born naturalized Russian modern pentathlete. He is a multiple-time medalist at the World and European Championships, and was a top-ranked male modern pentathlete in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Esteban Bustos Rodríguez is a modern pentathlete from Chile. He was born in Santiago. He won a bronze medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, and received an automatic qualifying berth for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, following the footsteps of his brother Cristián, who had previously competed in Beijing, four years before.
Jean Maxence Berrou is a French modern pentathlete. He is also a two-time champion at World Cup circuits, two-time silver medalist at the European Junior Championships, and is currently ranked no. 26 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
John Zakrzewski is a French modern pentathlete. He is currently ranked no. 179 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Bartosz Majewski is a Polish modern pentathlete. He won a silver medal for the relay at the 2010 European Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, and is currently ranked no. 63 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Marcin Horbacz is a Polish modern pentathlete. He is also a two-time champion at the 2007 and 2009 World Cup circuit, and is currently ranked no. 106 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Galina Dolgushina is a Kazakhstani modern pentathlete. As of 2011, she is ranked no. 194 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Nam Dong-Hong is a South Korean modern pentathlete. He is also a silver medalist at the 2008 Korean Open & Asian Championships in Seoul, and is currently ranked no. 123 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Yun Cho-Rong is a South Korean modern pentathlete. She also won a gold medal for the women's individual event at the 2006 Asian Modern Pentathlon Championships in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Belinda Schreiber is a Swiss modern pentathlete. She is currently ranked no. 63 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Sara Bertoli is an Italian modern pentathlete. She won two medals, silver and bronze, in the women's relay event at the 2002 and 2004 World Championships in San Francisco, California, United States and in Warsaw, Poland, respectively. Bertoli is a member of the modern pentathlon team for Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Azzurre, and is coached and trained by Luigi Filipponi.
Karla Marlene Sánchez Rodríguez is a Mexican modern pentathlete. She is currently ranked no. 82 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Angie Darby is an Australian modern pentathlete. As of August 2011, Darby was ranked no. 141 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
The modern pentathlon at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo took place in 2021 at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza and Ajinomoto Stadium.
The modern pentathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris took place during 8 to 11 August 2024 at the Palace of Versailles and the Arena Paris Nord. The Palace of Versailles hosted all the modern pentathlon events, with the only exclusion being the fencing ranking rounds, which occurred at the North Paris Arena. Two events were contested, one for men and another for women.
Italy 
