Singapore to host YOG qualifiers for modern pentathlon
By Patwant Singh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 19 December 2009 2004 hrs

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SINGAPORE: Over the next two days, 26 athletes from the Asia-Oceania region will take part in the sport of modern pentathlon to vie for a chance to compete at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) next year.

Modern pentathlon has been called a "true Olympic sport" as it best conveys the ideals of Olympism. It originally involves five disciplines – fencing, running, swimming, shooting and horse-riding, but the latter category is excluded from the YOG.

Singapore, which has just started the sport in time for the Games, will play a critical role in developing modern pentathlon in the region. For one, the YOG will use laser guns instead of air pistols for the shooting category.

Klaus Schormann, president of the International Union of Modern Pentathlon, said: "Laser shooting, environmental friendly shooting - I know that the shooting federations and the shooters are not so happy that we are going this direction.

"But we have observed worldwide the law for shooting, especially for the young people. We have five disciplines and to develop our sports takes a lot of time, so we said we have to arrange our shooting so that all the kids in schools can practise it."


- CNA/so