Paul Schmitt Former President of the Republic, Athlete of the Nation, leader of the Hungarian Olympic Committee from 1989 to 2010, a member of the International Olympic Committee for 39 years, and five-time between 1957 and 1959, although he later became a two-time Olympic champion in a duel.
Schmitt was shocked to learn of the decision of the Executive Committee of the International Pentathlon Federation (UIPM) in the fourth quarter of November to cancel riding from the Pentathlon without first consulting with the competitors themselves, who will eventually go to the fair, and the national federations. The justification was as follows:
- The sport does not meet the IOC’s expectations in terms of viewership (which is denied by the competitors themselves).
- The IOC has reportedly threatened the UIPM that if it does not cancel the ride, it will no longer have five at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The almost whispered decision of the UIPM Executive Committee has infuriated the world’s five hundred, more than six hundred of them, including many Olympic champions. required by open letter UIPM President Klaus Schormann resigned, saying the German sports leader was the killer of the sport.
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Well, Paul Schmitt himself sent a letter to Schormann, which the pentathlon.hu, the official website of the Hungarian association also published. That’s what we’re talking about.
In his letter, Schmitt, who has been an IOC member since 1983, and if anyone knows what is going on in the governing body of the Olympics, he, well, Schmitt denies that the IOC would put pressure on the UIPM to stop riding.
During your presidency, the sport has changed a lot to meet the expectations of the media, especially TV and the modern age, ”Schmitt said in a letter to Schormann. – I have been a member of the IOC for 39 years and I can say for sure that during this time the IOC never asked you to change the program, the way it was run or the rules. On the contrary, it was important not only for Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who dreamed of this wonderful sport, but also for President Samaranch, who, during his 20-year presidency, indicated every time he wanted to hand over medals at the Pentathlon.
In the following, the Hungarian IOC member objectively refuted Schormann’s claims.
“In Hungary, we read in shock that they want to take riding out of the emblematic sport with a history of 110 years. Pour clean water into the glass!
- Horseback riding is the most popular and spectacular part of the pentathlon
- Competitors are not only proud to swim, run, shoot or fight well, but also for their riding skills
- The IOC has never asked you or the UIPM to change your riding
- In order for the UIPM to replace the riding, it is not enough for the Executive Committee to decide, but the Congress should have taken a decision in accordance with the Statutes.
- A yes vote of two-thirds of Congress is needed for such far-reaching changes
- Even for TV viewers, horseback riding is the most spectacular part of the five
- The Organizing Committee of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has taken the lead, along with the Fives and Riding. ”
Finally, Schmitt appealed to Schormann’s conscience:
I’m sure, like you’ve ever been a pentathlete, you don’t want people to remember you like the president whose name includes the abolition of riding.
(Cover photo: Pál Schmitt on September 18, 2021. Photo: Tamás Kovács / MTI)
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