UIPM Secretary General’s Message: Heritage & Innovation – The Balance the IOC is Looking For

During the recent IOC Session and Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina, a lot of conversations among Olympic sport leaders centred around heritage and innovation.

For a sport aiming to demonstrate its value to the movement and continuous relevance, which one is the key priority? In the case of UIPM, the answer is simple. The answer is both. And this has been the case for a long time …

1. The Blind Spot

• When there are debates of “heritage versus future”, Pentathlon is the sport that sits comfortably in both, bridging the gap between eras.
• Perceptions can often linger in the past, and we understand that some still see the old version of our sport and are unaware of its transformation.
• Our job is make the invisible visible, and promote the innovation until everyone knows about it.

2. Heritage: A True Original

• Modern Pentathlon was founded by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, father of the modern Olympics.
• Pentathlon is not a “guest” sport. It is part of the Olympic DNA with more than a century of unbroken Games history.
• The philosophy of the “complete athlete” – mind, body, adaptability – was written into stone by Coubertin, and we carry his legacy.
• We don’t borrow tradition. We are the tradition.

3. Innovation: The Hard Yards

• When change was demanded, we didn’t resist. We delivered.
• Obstacle racing was selected as the new fifth discipline, embracing the world’s fastest-growing urban sport.
• This instantly opened the door to millions of new athletes (OCR, Ninja Warrior TV shows, fitness culture).
• Venue transformation: a new age of flexibility for organisers, with city-centre activations and iconic backdrops.
• TV-friendly finals: Obstacle + Laser Run  = drama, speed, elimination, youth appeal.
• Gender equality. Cost efficiency. Adaptability. This is exactly what the IOC asks for.

4. The Gap: Awareness, Not Performance

• The problem is in the visibility of our evolution.
• Some still associate us with a 20th-century logistical medal: heavy input for limited output.
• They do not know:
  • That Obstacle brings millions of new participants and fans.
  • That our finals are now primetime ready.
  • That we are already delivering the “future Games” format today.
• We have not been loud enough about our change. That ends now.

5. The Signature: “Heritage & Innovation”

• This exact phrase has been sent in our email signatures for 10 years.
• It was never a slogan. It was the keywords of a strategy.
• We have lived this balance longer than it has been trendy.
• Now it’s time to promote it from footnote to headline.

6. The Ask: Not Favour, Just Focus

• We do not ask for sympathetic treatment. We ask for awareness.
• We are not a sport that needs to be saved. We are a sport that has already saved itself – while keeping its soul.
• If the IOC wants heritage and innovation in one package, stop searching, we are right here.