UIPM Judges Certification Programme: New qualification for 25 judges in Kaunas (LTU)

Twenty-four members of the Modern Pentathlon community in Lithuania – and one from Ukraine – earned a qualification during a recent UIPM Judges Certification Programme (JCP).

The course in Kaunas (LTU) accommodated all levels of technical official and was attended by several world-leading athletes alongside a new generation of community members starting out on their officiating journey.

Coordinated by Andrea Dell’Amore (ITA), UIPM JCP Educator and Technical Committee Member, the course took place from October 19-23 and was held in conjunction with the Baltic Cup held on October 22 and 23.

Nine women were among the intake, including current world No.6 Ieva Serapinaite (LTU) and two-time Olympian Gintare Venckauskaite OLY (LTU).

The course was also attended by two-time Olympic medallist Andrejus Zadneprovskis OLY (LTU), a member of the UIPM Executive Board, and former world champion Justinas Kinderis OLY, now Secretary General of the Lithuanian Modern Pentathlon Federation.

Justinas Kinderis OLY said: “Here in Lithuania we have a clear goal to host more international competitions, starting with the European Championships (U19/U17) in 2023, and it is very important that we offer a high standard of judging as part of the hosting package.

“The JCP course was very informative for our community and we look forward to practising what we learned in future competitions."

UIPM Technical Committee Chairman, Janusz Peciak OLY, added: “UIPM continues its constant effort to maintain a high level of judge education so that all competitions can be officiated with the highest possible standards.

“Organisers need to be equipped to adapt to rule changes, as you can see from the new Modern Pentathlon format designed for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which is now embedded in our sport. I am delighted that 25 members of our community in Lithuania and Ukraine have added or upgraded their certification.”