The opening ceremony was held on Tuesday as well as the technical meetings of the competitions. As of Wednesday, it was time for the real competition between several nations from all over the World. The Egyptian team has arrived in Sarasota for the competition. “Actually, our team has already been warming up for this event in Colorado Springs since last October. They have been training as part of their preparation for the main goal, the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro in 2016,” said Sharif Al-Erian, president of the Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation. “This is the first edition of the World Cup which comprises of five editions every year. Egypt will host World Cup 2 next month.” Al-Erian told the weekly, adding that the final edition of the World Cup is scheduled to conclude in Belarus in July. The Egyptian delegation comprises of three male athletes Amr and Omar El-Geziri and Yasser Hefni. “Islam Hamed and two female athletes Haidi Adel and Sondos Tarek have joined the trio since earlier this month accompanied by manager Raouf Hossam and fencing coach Ahmed Fathi.” Al-Erian added. The women's semifinals were scheduled to kick off yesterday Wednesday while the men's semifinals are scheduled to be held today. The women's final will take place tomorrow while the men's final will be held on Saturday. The Mixed relay will be held on Sunday as the last event in the World Cup 1 to conclude the competition. A four-day competition management conference will be held alongside the tournament. The conference is organized in particular to the national federations who will host the different World Cup events. The International Modern Penathlon Federation UIPM intends to make sure all organizers follow the same requirements of organization. The Egyptian federation, which will host World Cup 2 from 19 to 23, has nominated board members Sherine Saleh and Hany Farouk to take part in the conference. On the other hand, The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Qatar Modern Pentathlon Federation (QMPF) have signed an agreement with the International Federation of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM) to host the 2015, 2016 and 2017 editions of the Champion of Champions event. The agreement was signed by H.E. Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Secretary General of the QOC, Mr. Fahad Saad Al Qahtani, President of the QMPF and Dr. Klaus Schormann, President of the UIPM. Champion of Champions brings together the best 18 male and 18 female UIPM ranked athletes from around the globe for a one day event to crown the best male and female Modern Pentathletes in the world. First hosted by Doha in 2013, the QOC and QMPF are showing their commitment to the development of Modern Pentathlon by signing an agreement to host the next three editions, which will be held annually in November. Speaking at the signing of the agreement, H.E. Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said: “We are delighted to have signed this agreement to host the 2015, 2016 and 2017 editions of the Champion of Champions event in Doha. The 2013 event was the first Modern Pentathlon event ever to be hosted in Doha and it was a huge success. We are excited that we now have a fantastic opportunity to build on this success and it will be an honour to work closely with the International Federation of Modern Pentathlon to showcase this Olympic sport in Qatar and across the whole of the Middle East, and assist with its global development. “Doha has become a true global sports hub thanks to its hosting of Qatar will host the next three editions of a multitude of world-class sports events, which include the 2014 FINA World Swimming Championships, 2015 World Championships in Handball, Boxing and IPC Athletics, as well as the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and 2019 IAAF World Championships in Athletics. It is an honour to add Modern Pentathlon to this list of prestigious events and we are so pleased that more federations and elite athletes are recognising the opportunities that Qatar offers, together with its proven abilities as a host nation.” Modern Pentathlon, one of the oldest Olympic sports in history, will get a fresh face-lift through the hosting of the Champion of Champions series in Doha. It is still a relatively new sport in the Middle East and hosting this world-class series in Doha will enable the sport to develop in a new part of the world. Speaking at the signing of the agreement, President of the UIPM, Dr Klaus Schormann, said: “We are delighted that our Champion of Champions event will be hosted in Qatar for the next three years. We were extremely impressed by Qatar's hosting of the event in 2013 and our athletes excelled in Qatar's outstanding facilities. Qatar is a fantastic destination for sports events and we are very proud that this event will inspire the development of a new generation of Modern Pentathletes in the region and to the growth of our sport across the Middle East. Modern Pentathlon was created by the founder of the Olympic movement, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and promotes education through sport. There is no better sport to develop the youth of today and we look forward to working closely with the Qatar Olympic Committee and Qatar Modern Pentathlon Federation to create an exciting future for our sport.” President of the QMPF, Mr. Fahad Al Qahtani, said: “Modern Pentathlon is still a relatively young sport in Qatar but it is already very popular. Hosting the Champion of Champions event in Qatar will have a catalytic effect on the growth of the sport in our country and we cannot wait to get started. We are very excited to partner with the International Federation of Modern Pentathlon and raise the bar for the future hosting of Modern Pentathlon events.”
