Abstract
What Olympic sport has been a staple since 1912?
Modern pentathlon
The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport that comprises five events: fencing, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a final combined event of pistol shooting, and a 3200 m cross-country run. The sport has been a core sport of the Olympic Games since 1912, and since 1949 an annual World Championship has been held. Originally the competition took place over four or five days; however in 1996 a one-day format was adopted in an effort to be more audience-friendly. However, modern pentathlon, despite its long Olympic history, has had to justify its inclusion in the modern Olympic Games on frequent occasions. On February 11, 2013 in Lausanne, the IOC confirmed modern pentathlon once again as one of the 25 core sports of the Olympic program through until 2020. The governing body, UIPM, administers the international sport in more than 90 countries in all the continents of the world.