The modern pentathlon is to become a discipline of four, rather than five, events after the sport's governing body, the UIPM, voted to combine its running and shooting elements.
The amalgamation of the sport's running and shooting will produce an event similar to the biathlon, in which an athlete alternates between skiing a set course and shooting at fixed targets. Poor accuracy with the gun is usually punished by a competitor either having to travel a longer distance or being handed a time penalty.
The change, voted for at the UIPM's congress in Guatemala, will come into effect from January 2009, with London 2012 the first Olympic Games to incorporate the "quadrathlon" format. The first test of the new format will take place at next year's world championships at Crystal Palace.
Modern pentathlon has formed part of the Olympics since 1912, when it was introduced by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and has remained largely unaltered, despite revisions to the number of days allocated for the contest. In addition to running and shooting, pentathletes engage in swimming, show jumping and fencing.
