Military pentathlon
Encyclopedia
The Military Pentathlon is a multisport
.
was originally designed to include the ideal skills of a soldier of the time. By the Second World War
, some of those skills (fencing
and horse riding) were irrelevant to the modern soldier.
In 1946 a French officer, Captain Henri Debrus (later promoted Colonel and President of the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM)) conceived the idea of organising a sports competition reserved exclusively for the army. It was during discussions held at Frankfurt am Main which led to the setting up of the Allied Forces Sports Council, that his attention was drawn to an original military physical training technique used, at that time, by the Netherlands airborne units
. After being dropped over a given zone, parachutists
had to travel a distance of twenty kilometres from the dropping point, crossing over a number of obstacles and performing combat operations (small arms
fire and grenade
throwing).
Captain Debrus took the Dutch method as a guide, eliminated the parachute jump and modified the other tests in order to form a system, which he thought, would constitute an ideal way of ground training. A first trial competition organised by himself was held at the Military Physical Training Centre, at Freiburg, in the French
occupation zone in Germany
, in August 1947. Only Belgian
, Dutch
, and French teams took part in the competition.
Since 1950 annual world championships have been held. The sport has grown in popularity, and now over 30 countries participate. The sport's governing body, the CISM, now also organise pentathlon
s aimed at naval
and air force
personnel.
The competition shooting consists of:
If electronic scoring systems are not used, the time available is 12 minutes.
After the announcement of "15 seconds remain" the signals >>START<< and >>STOP<< are given by short
whistle blasts.
The precision fire will be started at the same time for all shooters participating in the same heat.
during the rapid fire series. Therefore the monitors will be turned away or off.
The rapid fire will be started in two rounds (every second shooter, first the uneven numbers followed by the
even numbers) in the same heat.
Competitors in the non-shooting round must remain absolutely still.
Tracer, armour-piercing and incendiary ammunition are prohibited. Weapons and ammunition must be
provided by the team.
The weight of grenades is 600 grams for men and 400 grams for women.
Multisport
Multisport is a family of athletic competitions in which athletes race in a continuous series of stages or "legs", and rapidly switch from one athletic discipline to another in order to achieve the best overall time...
.
History of the Military Pentathlon
The modern pentathlonModern pentathlon
The modern pentathlon is a sports contest that includes five events: pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a 3 km cross-country run...
was originally designed to include the ideal skills of a soldier of the time. By the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, some of those skills (fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
and horse riding) were irrelevant to the modern soldier.
In 1946 a French officer, Captain Henri Debrus (later promoted Colonel and President of the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM)) conceived the idea of organising a sports competition reserved exclusively for the army. It was during discussions held at Frankfurt am Main which led to the setting up of the Allied Forces Sports Council, that his attention was drawn to an original military physical training technique used, at that time, by the Netherlands airborne units
Royal Netherlands Army
The Royal Netherlands Army is the land forces element of the military of the Netherlands.-Short history:The Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, but its origins date back to 1572, when the so-called Staatse Leger was raised...
. After being dropped over a given zone, parachutists
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
had to travel a distance of twenty kilometres from the dropping point, crossing over a number of obstacles and performing combat operations (small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
fire and grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
throwing).
Captain Debrus took the Dutch method as a guide, eliminated the parachute jump and modified the other tests in order to form a system, which he thought, would constitute an ideal way of ground training. A first trial competition organised by himself was held at the Military Physical Training Centre, at Freiburg, in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
occupation zone in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in August 1947. Only Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and French teams took part in the competition.
Since 1950 annual world championships have been held. The sport has grown in popularity, and now over 30 countries participate. The sport's governing body, the CISM, now also organise pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
s aimed at naval
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
and air force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
personnel.
Events of the Military Pentathlon
- ShootingShootingShooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
: At a distance of 200 metres, competitors are tested separately for precision (10 shots in 10 minutes) and rapid-fire (10 shots in one minute) shooting. - Obstacle running: Competitors navigate a 500 meter obstacle course with 20 obstacles.
- Obstacle swimming: Competitors must swim a distance of 50 meters, including four obstacles.
- ThrowingThrowingThrowing may refer to:*launching a projectile, especially by hand*Throw , a martial arts and grappling technique that involves off-balancing or lifting an opponent...
: Competitors are tested separately for precision and distance throwing. In the precision test, competitors throw 16 projectiles (inactive grenades) at targets on the ground at varying distances. - Cross country runningCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
: Competitors undertake an 8 km cross country run.
Shooting
The shooting discipline consists of sighting shots and the competition shooting.The competition shooting consists of:
- precision fire : 10 rounds in 10 minutes maximum.
If electronic scoring systems are not used, the time available is 12 minutes.
After the announcement of "15 seconds remain" the signals >>START<< and >>STOP<< are given by short
whistle blasts.
The precision fire will be started at the same time for all shooters participating in the same heat.
- rapid fire : 10 rounds in 1 minute maximum. The competitor will not get information on the result of the individual shots
during the rapid fire series. Therefore the monitors will be turned away or off.
The rapid fire will be started in two rounds (every second shooter, first the uneven numbers followed by the
even numbers) in the same heat.
Competitors in the non-shooting round must remain absolutely still.
- Distance is 200 m (+/- 0.75 m).
- Weapons & ammunition : 300m Standard Rifle. All types of ammunition can be used that may be fired without danger to competitors and range personnel.
Tracer, armour-piercing and incendiary ammunition are prohibited. Weapons and ammunition must be
provided by the team.
- Target : Electronic targets or paper targets may be used. The 300-metre rifle target (according ISSF General Technical Rules par. 6.3.2.1) will be used. Separate targets will be used for precision and rapid fire.
Obstacle Run
The length of the course is 500 m and consists of 20 standardised obstacles.- Track : The contest will be held on one or several lanes, provided that all lanes are identical. Each competitor is compelled to follow his own lane.
- Obstacles : The obstacles will be constructed and placed on the track. Obstacles of men's event consist of rope ladder(1), double beam(2), trip wire(3), network of wire(4), ford(5), espalier(6), balance beam(7), sloping wall with rope(8), horizontal beams(9), Irish table(10), tunnel and twin beams(11), four steps of beams(12), banquette and pit(13), assault wall(14), pit(15), vertical ladder(16), assault wall II(17), zigzag balance beam(18), chicane(19), 3 assault walls in succession(20). In case of women's event, obstacle no.1, 8, 12, and 16. will not be negotiated.
Throwing
Throwing consists of precision throwing at distances of 20, 25, 30 and 35 meters (5m shorter for each target for females). The targets consist of an inner circle with radius of 1m, and an outer circle with radius of 2m. The time allotted for precision throwing is three minutes, 16 grenades with 4 grenades on each target. Distance throwing is also included, where competitors throw three grenades in two minutes. Only the longest throw will count toward the score, which combines points for both distance and precision.The weight of grenades is 600 grams for men and 400 grams for women.