UIPM Secretary General’s message: Why we need 5D for 5E to succeed

The current conflict in Ukraine, following two years of global pandemic, has taught us all to remember that life can be fragile, scary and unpredictable.

That said, we should always hope for better days ahead, and not only hope but also plan with confidence for a better and more peaceful future that enables our communities to thrive.

With a new season of global UIPM competitions just weeks away, this is an opportune time to update you on UIPM’s 5E strategy for development, which puts the emphasis firmly on evolution.

Since 2015, as you may know, we have been working against a 4E programme based on Education, Equipment, Empowerment and Expansion. We have had a series of good results under each of the four banners.

In Education, UIPM launched the Coaches Certification Programme (CCP) and Judges Certification Programme (JCP) in 2017 and 2018 respectively. This year we are following up with a new Educational Platform which will allow athletes, coaches and judges to easily access e-courses and to navigate a series of materials to facilitate their study and improvement.

In Equipment, the provision of low-cost Shooting apparatus enabled us to support more than 80 countries since 2014, while Fencing equipment packages were also sent out to new and developing countries. This will be the year that UIPM starts to test and distribute the Pentasuit via countries hosting the UIPM Biathle-Triathle National Tour and through some elite pentathletes who will try this uniform for their Swimming and Laser Run.

In Empowerment, we invented the Global Laser Run City Tour (2017) and BTNT (2018) to allow National Federations to create sustainable events in all locations, offering people of all ages a chance to participate within the clear pathways of the UIPM Sports Pyramid. Importantly, in 2022 we will redouble our efforts to enhance and empower our athletes, giving them a stronger voice and more involvement – which already had a lot of positive impact and influence.

In Expansion, UIPM enlarged its sports community within the multiple layers of the movement across the wide variety of multi-discipline sports, while have more than 20 new NFs became member nations since 2018. The launching of e-Laser Run and more engagement in the UIPM Para Sports movement, plus working with new organisers, will turn a new page for the sport and enable the organisation to grow.

So how does Evolution become the cornerstone of our strategy in 2022?

Of course, our movement has been subject to evolution ever since the creation of Modern Pentathlon in 1912, and especially so since the beginning of the 21st century. Now more than ever, we need to look closely not only at innovative technical changes to the sport but also think closely about how it can embrace youth and remain attractive to future generations.

In this phase of innovation, which could be the most important period in the history of our sport, evolution becomes UIPM’s key strategy. It will be built on the new format for Paris 2024, the new 5th discipline for Los Angeles 2028, the new Over The Top (OTT) digital broadcast platform and new working groups.

All of these will be pillars of the evolution but the new 5th Discipline process, with very clear steps and procedures, is perhaps the most pivotal part of all. It brings home the importance of why we need a strategic framework in the first place, with clear goals. In this way ‘5D’ will underline the importance of ‘5E’.

One of the major goals for UIPM in 2022 is to increase the commercial value of its sports in partnership with multiple stakeholders. The 5D project has already attracted support from a lot of high-level experts, emphasising the power of evolution that we need to channel across our movement for the benefit of all communities.

It will be a long journey, but the destination is achievable, as long as we have the combined efforts of the whole community put together. We need your support!