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.
Hungary competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. 232 competitors, 187 men and 45 women, took part in 134 events in 20 sports.
The Soviet Union (USSR) competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 410 competitors, 285 men and 125 women, took part in 189 events in 22 sports. As the country hosted the next Olympics in Moscow, a live video feed from the city was shown at the closing ceremony.
Britta Heidemann is a German épée fencer. In 2016, Heidemann became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The Soviet Union (USSR) competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. 317 competitors, 254 men and 63 women, took part in 154 events in 19 sports.
Hungary competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. 182 competitors, 150 men and 32 women, took part in 111 events in 17 sports.
The Soviet Union (USSR) competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. 272 competitors, 233 men and 39 women, took part in 135 events in 17 sports. the Netherlands, Spain, the Netherlands Antilles, Egypt, Lebanon, Cambodia, Iraq and Switzerland protested against this by boycotting the games. As a partial support to the Dutch-led boycott, Soviet athletes under the Olympic flag instead of the national flag.
The Soviet Union (USSR) competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. 312 competitors, 246 men and 66 women, took part in 164 events in 18 sports.
Germany was the host nation and top medal recipient at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. 433 competitors, 389 men and 44 women, took part in 143 events in 22 sports.
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 men's modern pentathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was held on Thursday, August 21. Three venues were used: Olympic Green Convention Center, Ying Tung Natatorium (swimming), and the Olympic Sports Center Stadium.
The women's modern pentathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was held on Friday, August 22. Three venues were used: Olympic Green Convention Center, Ying Tung Natatorium (swimming), and the Olympic Sports Center Stadium.
Herbert Polzhuber was an Austrian fencer and modern pentathlete. Considered one of Austria's greatest épée fencers, he participated at four consecutive Olympic Games in 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976, being a fencer in each in addition to a pentathlete in his first appearance. He is also partly remembered for an incident at the 1965 World Pentathlon Championships, where he allegedly drank 10 beers and a bottle of cognac before firing his pistol into the ground and passing out.
The men's modern pentathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney was held on 30 September. Three venues were used: The Dome and Exhibition Complex, Sydney International Aquatic Centre (swimming) and Sydney Baseball Stadium. Dmitry Svatkovsky from Russia won the gold medal with a score of 5,376 points.
The inaugural women's modern pentathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney was held on October 1. Three venues were used: The Dome and Exhibition Complex, Sydney International Aquatic Centre (swimming) and Sydney Baseball Stadium. Stephanie Cook from Great Britain won the gold medal in the first-ever women's event, with a score of 5,318 points.
Triathle is a sub-sport of modern pentathlon consisting of running, swimming and shooting.
At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, the men's team modern pentathlon event was contested. It was the first appearance of the event. The team event used (modified) scores from the individual event.
The men's individual modern pentathlon was an event contested at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. It was the ninth appearance of the individual modern pentathlon, which had been featured at every Summer Olympics since 1912. The individual scores were also used for the men's team event.
The men's team modern pentathlon was an event contested at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. It was the second appearance of the team modern pentathlon event. The team event used scores from the individual event except that fencing scores were recomputed to account for only team event competitors.
