Show Jumping Will Be Dropped from Modern Pentathlon Months After Tokyo Olympics Controversy

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TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 03: Daisuke Fukushima of Team Japan riding Chanyon competes during the Jumping Individual Qualifier on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Equestrian Park on August 03, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 03: Daisuke Fukushima of Team Japan riding Chanyon competes during the Jumping Individual Qualifier on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Equestrian Park on August 03, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Julian Finney/Getty

Equestrian show jumping will be dropped from the modern pentathlon at the Olympics following the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, according to the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM).

The "historic move" was made after an incident at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo exposed the risks of pairing up riders with unfamiliar horses.

Currently, the modern pentathlon contains five different events: fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, and a final combined event of pistol shooting and cross country running. For show jumping, the athletes do not use their own horses but rather draw one at random and are given 20 minutes to warm up with it before the competition.

UIPM President Dr. Klaus Schormann said in a statement Thursday that the UIPM Executive Board "unanimously endorsed" the recommendations put forth by the UIPM Innovation Commission.

The UIPM Executive Board addressed the "surprising" news in an open letter to pentathlon athletes.

TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 04: Daniel Meech of Team New Zealand riding Chinca 3 competes in the Equestrian Jumping Individual Final on day twelve of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Equestrian Park on August 04, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 04: Daniel Meech of Team New Zealand riding Chinca 3 competes in the Equestrian Jumping Individual Final on day twelve of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Equestrian Park on August 04, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Ezra Shaw/Getty

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"It is not very long since we made a commitment to review and protect the Riding discipline in the wake of the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. But life within the Olympic movement changes fast," the board said.

"While our sport is confirmed for Paris 2024 with our exciting new format in place (including Riding), Los Angeles 2028 is a different matter and we must be flexible and embrace change once again," they added.

In August, German modern pentathlon coach Kim Raisner was disqualified from the Tokyo Games after hitting a horse that the animal's assigned rider Annika Schleu had been struggling to control.

At the time, the German Olympic Committee said in a statement to CNN that the incident highlighted "an urgent reason for the international association to amend the rules. It needs to be changed so that the horse and the rider are protected."

TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 02: Tom Mcewen of Team Great Britain riding Toledo de Kerser competes during the Eventing Jumping Team Final and Individual Qualifier on day ten of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Gamesat Equestrian Park on August 02, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 02: Tom Mcewen of Team Great Britain riding Toledo de Kerser competes during the Eventing Jumping Team Final and Individual Qualifier on day ten of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Gamesat Equestrian Park on August 02, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Julian Finney/Getty

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In Thursday's statement, Schormann confirmed that the sport will still include five disciplines and "continue to provide the ultimate moral and physical examination of an athlete." Now, the search is on for a replacement.

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"A new discipline will provide fresh impetus to our sport and strengthen the position of Modern Pentathlon within the Olympic movement," he said.