Young athletes compete in a modern pentathlon obstacle race in Handan, North China's Hebei Province, on July 11, 2026. Photo: VCG

For years, China has been widely recognized as one of the world's most active hosts of international sporting events. Increasingly, however, its involvement is expanding beyond merely providing venues and organizing competitions.

As modern pentathlon undergoes its biggest transformation since joining the Olympic program in 1912, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) is looking to China not simply as a host nation, but as a strategic partner in charting the sport's path forward.

Modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport that traditionally comprises five events: fencing, swimming, horse riding, and cross-country running combined with pistol shooting.

In 2026, China will host the federation's flagship event, the Pentathlon World Championships, in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou Province. Besides that, Beijing is entering the second year of a four-year agreement to stage UIPM's Obstacle World Championships.

While many international federations regard China as an important commercial market, UIPM leaders say their decision is rooted in something broader: trust, participation and a shared willingness to innovate.

"The 1.4 billion people, that'll do it every time," UIPM President Rob Stull joked when asked why China has become so important to the federation. Behind the humor, he described a partnership forged through years of collaboration.

"When you're developing a product - which sport is at the end of the day - you develop relationships," Stull told the Global Times during an interview on Tuesday, ahead of the championships. 

"These relationships take time. We have confidence working with the organizers, and they have confidence in the value of the product."

Trusted host

China's track record in staging international sporting events has strengthened that confidence. 

Having previously hosted the 2024 Modern Pentathlon World Championships in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province, and the inaugural standalone Obstacle World Championships in Beijing in 2025, the country has demonstrated both organizational capability and growing public interest in pentathlon. 

Obstacle racing officially replaced equestrian riding as the newest discipline in modern pentathlon following the Paris Olympic cycle and will make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028. 

The discipline now forms part of UIPM's new 90-minute competition format, designed to create a faster, more spectator-friendly product for television and digital audiences. 

But UIPM Secretary General Fang Ya said the discipline's greatest strength lies beyond elite competition.

"I believe, to make a sport sustainable, any sport needs to have what you just mentioned," she told the Global Times when asked how recreational participation could be converted into high-performance success. "But high performance is absolutely not the only way."

Instead, she sees obstacle racing as a sport with unusually broad appeal.

"Obstacles are natural for any human being, especially for kids. They climb, they overcome things. That's why it connects with everyone."

That philosophy has found fertile ground in China, where obstacle-based fitness has grown rapidly in recent years - with youth training centers, ninja gyms and functional fitness clubs driving the expansion. The 2025 Obstacle World Championships also highlighted China's competitive potential, with home athletes winning five gold, 13 silver and nine bronze medals. 

Ahead of this year's championships, the Chinese Modern Pentathlon Association has launched nationwide selection events to choose the elite athletes for the national team, while thousands of recreational competitors are expected to take part in age-group races.

Unlike many world championships that are restricted to elite athletes, the UIPM event blends top-tier international competition with open categories - welcoming participants of all ages and skill levels to compete on the same stage. 

Theme park race 

Another factor driving UIPM's focus on China is its readiness to reimagine not just the competition format but also the sport it represents.

This year's championships will move from Beijing's National Olympic Sports Centre to Universal Studios Beijing, where obstacle courses will be built around the theme park's CityWalk and surrounding open spaces.

For Stull, the venue reflects a broader philosophy rather than a one-off experiment. 

He noted that such locations can introduce Olympic sports to audiences who may never deliberately buy a ticket for a world championship.

"We've gone from traditional stadiums to indoor arenas," he said. "People are going to a theme park to have a good time. They're looking for entertainment. If we can add to that entertainment value, then that's a good partnership."

The venue has also been designed to create a more intimate connection between athletes and spectators.

"The biggest difference is going to be proximity," Stull said. "You can hear the athletes. The closeness to the action helps create an immersive experience."

For UIPM, these innovations are not simply about attracting bigger crowds in China. They form part of a broader strategy to ensure modern pentathlon remains relevant in an increasingly competitive sports landscape.

"We always had the vision not only for now, but also for the future of the sport and the organization," Fang said.

For Stull, China's contribution extends beyond commercial opportunities or event hosting.

"When we do a deal with China, it's almost turnkey," he said. "We trust the organizers. They know what they're doing."

He said that China's combination of organizational expertise, a large participation base and enthusiasm for new sporting experiences provides an ideal environment for UIPM to explore the next chapter of modern pentathlon.

"Having the events held in China also brings the benefits in terms of cultural exchange and all the benefits that come with it," Stull told the Global Times. "There are going to be a few people who walk away with medals but everybody else walks away with the experience."

"For our sport, the experience is the gold standard. It's what people remember. Twenty or 30 years later, they won't remember where they finished, but they will remember the experience they had in China," Stull said.