UIPM Secretary General’s Message: Why we need to catch the Olympic Games train

The Olympic Games train will depart with or without Modern Pentathlon.

It is a fast-moving vehicle, powered by the latest technology. It is also a historic monument, a tribute to human achievement with huge emotional symbolism.

The train carries all of our memories of the glory days of rail travel, and the journeys we took. But it also has an important task: to carry the passengers of tomorrow where they want to go.

The driver is resolute in this task and determined to succeed so that, 50-100 years from now, our children and their children will have as much love for the Olympic Games as we do now.

The train consists of new and old carriages, and it always will be, but some of the old carriages will eventually be released and sent back to the garage to be turned into museum exhibits. Meanwhile the train will speed along the track with newer, lighter, more dynamic carriages at the front.

We have options in front of us.

We can catch the train and equip ourselves as required by the driver, OR we can keep debating why the driver set such requirements and stay on the platform without moving.

We can work together to get everyone on the train, OR we can wait for those who insist on travelling in the old carriages that they remember so fondly; as a result, everyone misses the train.

We can leave behind some beloved belongings because they don’t fit the train, be strong and face the future with confidence, OR we can keep campaigning to bring items that the driver told us not to bring, and end up being denied entry to the train.

Do we have alternatives?

Can we wait and take another train because we still want to bring everything with us?

No, because this is the train that brought us here, and it will only stop at this station once.

Can we create our own train so that we can bring all our belongings with us?

Yes, but only if we are strong enough to own, buy or build that train.

So what can we do?

We can focus, prepare ourselves to be as fit as possible and help each other to adjust to the new reality.

We can welcome new passengers into our carriage, appreciate them for the powers and skills that make us stronger as a group.

We can hold love for our cherished items, memorise them, but embrace our new belongings and turn them into the treasure of tomorrow.

The train is leaving soon, and we need to be on that platform with the right luggage and tickets to the same destination as the other carriages.

So are you ready for a new journey?

Think ahead. Decades from now, future generations will thank you for what you have done to keep them on the train, to allow them to experience the journey of Olympism as you did, and to start their own unforgettable journeys.