President’s welcome

Dear athletes, dear coaches and trainers, dear guests and officials, 

Welcome to the fourth UIPM Pentathlon World Cup of the season, which will take our athletes one step closer to the finish line of qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

At the end of this competition, we will know which 72 athletes have earned a place in the UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Cup Final in Ankara (TUR), from May 22-26, which is followed by one last opportunity to win automatic qualification places for Paris 2024 at the UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Championships in Zhengzhou (CHN), from June 9-16.

While Paris is the ultimate destination – it is every pentathlete’s dream to compete in the Olympic Games in front of an audience of billions – they will experience a special highlight of the season here in the beautiful capital city of Sofia.

Bulgaria has become a strong pillar of our global sports movement, typified by the excellent organisation of this annual World Cup. My gratitude goes to the Bulgarian Modern Pentathlon Federation and their partners within Government and the National Olympic Committee, as well as the many volunteers, sponsors, supporters and media representatives who will play a vital role in the success of this competition.

Three months from now, after Paris 2024, all eyes will turn to Los Angeles 2028, where our new Obstacle discipline will be introduced to the Olympic Games. Already it has been implemented in the UIPM 2023 World Championships for Junior, U19 and U17 athletes, leading to the decision of the 141st IOC Session to confirm Modern Pentathlon on the programme for LA28.

The future is bright for Modern Pentathlon!

Competition this week will be intense, but I urge athletes to never forget their responsibility to compete in a spirit of fair play, as our founder Pierre de Coubertin envisaged, and respect the Olympic values as we together enjoy the glory of our unique multisport. Faster, Stronger, Higher … Together.

Dr Klaus Schormann

UIPM President