UIPM 2024 Congress awarded to Riyadh (KSA)

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The Executive Board (EB) of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) has agreed unanimously to award the 73rd UIPM Congress to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The elective Congress will take place on November 16-17, 2024 as the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosts UIPM’s global decision-making summit for the first time.

UIPM 2024 Congress was originally awarded to Antigua (GUA) but the award was withdrawn in March 2023 after the suspension of the Guatemala Olympic Committee by the International Olympic Committee. A bid process resulted in two bidders, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which withdrew its offer during yesterday’s EB meeting.

The award of Congress to a nation in the Middle East follows a period of accelerated progressive development in the Asian region, with the inaugural UIPM Middle East Championships set to take place in Kuwait City (KUW) in early 2024.

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann with Saudi Arabia NOC Vice-President HH Prince Fahd bin Jalawi

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: “I am pleased that the UIPM Executive Board has awarded the 73rd UIPM Congress and we can now start to plan for what I am sure will be a memorable elective Congress in Riyadh.

“Although our General Assembly is a forum for discussion and democratic decision-making, this award to the Saudi Modern Pentathlon Federation indicates the growth of UIPM Sports on the ground in the region, with increasing numbers of athletes taking part in international competitions. We are also looking forward to the inaugural UIPM Middle East Championships taking place next year in Kuwait.

“Next year is shaping up to be another year of historic landmarks and milestones for Modern Pentathlon, with the centenary Olympic Games taking place in Paris – birthplace of our founder, Baron Pierre de Coubertin – and now the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosting our Congress for the first time. I am certain that our worldwide community will be welcomed with open arms in Riyadh and we will have a strong participation in debates and decision-making both in person and online.”

About UIPM
UIPM (the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne) has governed the core Olympic sport of Modern Pentathlon since its formation in 1948. Today it oversees a range of multi-discipline sports (Tetrathlon, Triathle, Biathle, Laser Run and Obstacle Laser Run) which form a development pyramid with Modern Pentathlon at the top. In November 2022, UIPM Congress voted to introduce Obstacle to the UIPM Statutes and Competition Rules, creating a new discipline alongside the established disciplines of Fencing, Riding, Swimming, Laser Shooting and Running (the last two of which are combined to form Laser Run).

About Modern Pentathlon
Created especially for the Modern Olympic Games by its founder, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the sport was introduced in Stockholm in 1912 and has been the climax of the Games ever since. The format has been adapted to suit the 21st century and the Modern Pentathlon now consists of Horse Riding, Fencing, Swimming and Laser Run (shooting/running).