Modern Pentathlon: Portugal will host the Junior World Championship

After the outstanding success of the European Junior Championship 2006 in Torres Vedras, Portugal has earned the right to host in September 2007 at Caldas da Rainha the Junior World Modern Pentathlon Championship.

The modern pentathlon is a sports contest consisting of 5 events, hence the name pentathlon. The events are fencing, pistol shooting, 200 m freestyle swimming, a show jumping course on horseback, and a cross-country run. The epithet modern is important to discern it from the ancient athletics pentathlon – none of the events of modern pentathlon were part of the ancient Olympics.

The modern pentathlon was invented by the Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games. As the events of the ancient pentathlon were modelled after the skills of the ideal soldier of that time, Coubertin created the contest to simulate the experience of a 19th century cavalry soldier behind enemy lines: he must ride an unfamiliar horse, fight with pistol and sword, swim, and run.