It would be the first time Egypt organises the inaugural event of the five-round modern pentathlon World Cup. Rio de Janeiro, Rome and Budapest will host the second, third and fourth rounds while Sarasota in Florida will culminate the event by hosting the final. The Cairo event is scheduled to take place from 23 to 27 February at Cairo Stadium. According to Awad Sami, the tournament's director, the federation has become a beehive of activity in preparation for the event which will see the participation of 199 athletes — 101 male and 98 female. “It's all going to be in one place, the Cairo Stadium Complex which makes it very easy for the athletes to move around and reach the various venues within walking distance,” Sami told Al-Ahram Weekly. “Swimming in the pool and fencing in the indoor hall. Running will be held on the track of the football pitch while shooting and horse jumping will take place at the equestrian arena.” President of the Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation Sharif Al-Erian and head of the local organising committee said the event was “very important” as it is one of the qualifying tournaments to the World Cup in Rio. “That is why we have 36 countries taking part in the four-day event which will see the semi-finals take place, first for women and the following day for men. The top 36 athletes in the men's and women's semi-finals will qualify to the finals of both competitions,” Al-Erian said, calling on all junior and senior modern pentathlon athletes to go to the tournament to watch the performance of the world-class athletes. “It would be a valuable opportunity for those athletes to learn and gain experience,” Al-Erian said. Meanwhile, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) recently announced the launch of UIPMTV.org, a new digital platform for the modern pentathlon. In a statement, the UIPM said: “With the 2016 Olympic Games less than 200 days away UIPM TV has a programme of exciting TV events in store to reach modern pentathlon fans no matter where they are in the World. UIPM has a struck up a TV partnership for the 2016 season with production firm Sunset+Vine and a digital partnership with Digotel, which will run UIPMTV.org.” Not only will visitors to the new site be able to watch a one-hour programme relaying the action from each day of a major UIPM event. They will also get the chance to engage with the world's top modern pentathletes through the Social Media Hub. Streaming all over the world, the one-hour programmes will feature a highlights package from the first three events of the day (fencing, swimming and riding) as well as a live stream from the closing combined event. UIPM Secretary General Shiny Fang said: “This impressive platform adds a new dimension to our online video coverage. By embracing digital technology, we hope to reach a wide audience and increase awareness of our sport.” UIPM President Klaus Schormann added: “With the launch of UIPM TV we have proved once again that modern pentathlon is becoming accessible to every corner of the world and moving with the times. “It is very important that we now have a dedicated home for live coverage of our sport, as well as a social media hub where fans can follow the activities of our wonderful athletes all in one place. “The launch of UIPM TV is a real gesture of intent as modern pentathlon prepares for a busy Olympic year,” Schormann said. The multi-channel responsive video portal is designed and driven using components of the Digotel Live+ video platform to deliver both live and on-demand content. It includes an individual channel for a series of UIPM disciplines, allowing fans to access a variety of event coverage. The portal also features a social media hub, which aggregates information from international and national federations and athletes across multiple social networks. Dmytro Kirpulyansky, chairman of the UIPM Athletes Committee, said: “The introduction of UIPM TV with its Social Hub is a big step forward for our sport. The most important thing is that the project has been implemented this season before the Olympic Games. “Now all modern pentathlon fans have a great opportunity to be much closer to their favourite athletes.”
