Modern pentathlon replaces horse riding with obstacle racing for 2028 Olympics

Pentathletes used to need to know how to ride a horse as well as run, swim, shoot and fence. Now, they have to be able to swing from monkey bars, climb vertical walls and display the kind of skill contestants need on American Ninja Warrior.

Obstacle racing will replace show jumping at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and as the discipline’s world championships finished at Universal Studios Beijing on Sunday, organisers are ready for what comes next.

Like many other sports, modern pentathlon has had to evolve to keep up with the times.

Athletics, for example, is debuting its Ultimate Championship in Budapest next week, featuring a distinctive lighting design in which the infield is predominantly black and only the active competition areas are illuminated.

Fencing introduced a world league in April, while the International Swimming League, established in 2019, is returning to London in December after a five-year hiatus.

Other new events include World Table Tennis, founded seven years ago, and the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, in the face of newer racquet sports such as padel and pickleball.