European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023: Debut appearance for Modern Pentathlon confirmed

It’s official – Modern Pentathlon will make its debut appearance at the European Games when the third instalment of the multi-sport carnival takes place in Poland in 2023.

In September 2020, the European Confederation of Modern Pentathlon (ECMP) and UIPM learned that their long-awaited dream to be included in the European Games had come true.

On December 17 the European Olympic Committees (EOC) have named the first three sports – Modern Pentathlon, Canoe and Taekwondo – officially confirmed on the programme for the Games in Krakow-Malopolska (POL).

ECMP President Dmitry Svatkovsky said: “Now Modern Pentathlon is on the programme of the 3rd European Games which will take place in Poland in June 2023. Many circumstances preceded this victory.

“Experience was gained from failed attempts to be included in the previous two Games (Baku 2015 and Minsk 2019), which made ECMP and UIPM concentrate on the right policy and action plan.

“There was the happy choice of EOC in the organizer of the Games – Poland, a country with highly developed Modern Pentathlon, plenty of famous pentathletes and a very active Modern Pentathlon Federation. This played a huge role in the result. In other words: the stars came together and it happened.” 

The Modern Pentathlon competition at Krakow 2023 will double as the European Championships and serve as a qualification competition for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It will include the new Modern Pentathlon format designed for Paris 2024 and, because of this, the Polish Modern Pentathlon Association (PMPA) will be represented on the task force assembled to finalise the format.

President Svatkovsky added: “More news will follow in the course of our cooperation with EOC, which welcomed Modern Pentathlon in its community. But today the European Confederation expresses its sincere gratitude to all those who brought us to this victory.

“We thank UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann for his encouragement and trust in us, the former EOC President Janez Kocijancic, who passed away in June, for his invaluable advice, the President of the Polish Modern Pentathlon Association Ms Anna Bajan, without whom this event would not have happened, for her enormous impact in the inclusion of Modern Pentathlon in the European Games; and to all ECMP Executive Board members for their support in all our initiations!”