Equestrian is to be dropped from the five-discipline Olympic event of Modern Pentathlon, with horse riding likely to be replaced by cycling after the Paris 2024 Summer Games. 

Several media have reported that the decision was taken by the International Modern Pentathlon Union, commonly known by the acronym UIPM, after Germany’s modern pentathlon coach Kim Raisner hit a horse at the Tokyo Games when it refused to jump a fence. 

The UIPM has been the international governing body of modern pentathlon since its foundation in London in 1948. Modern pentathlon has been an Olympic event since 1912, featuring fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross-country running. Once a five-day event, modern pentathlon was reduced to one day in 1996. Plans are underway to reduce the competition to a rapid-fire 90-minute event at the Paris Summer Games. 

Read the UIPM official statement released November 4, 2021: UIPM Opens Consultation on Replacement of Riding Discipline in Modern Pentathlon.