XXX Olympic Games - Modern Pentathlon Event 2012

With just 100 days to go to the men’s Olympic Modern Pentathlon competition on the 11th August, preparations are well advanced for a really successful event which will see the marking of 100 years since Baron Pierre de Coubertin introduced the Modern Pentathlon into the Olympic Games in 1912 in Stockholm.

The two Olympic Park venues (The Copperbox for fencing and the Aquatics Centre for the swimming) are ready and Greenwich Park is being transformed into a world class stadium – the image shows how the build is progressing with both east and west grandstands well underway and the riding platform between them being constructed.

Meanwhile, the fight for one of the 36 precious Olympic places enters its final stages of the year-long process. The World Championships in Rome on 7-13 May and the World Cup Final in Chendgu, China on 26-27 May represents the final opportunities for athletes to either gain the qualifying standard or improve their ranking place.

So, who will be standing on the podium at Greenwich Park in 100 days time? Follow all the build-up and the action on Pentathlon.org.

SEVERAL times a week, 20-year-old pentathlete Chloe Esposito show-jumps a former racehorse called Indiana Jones in the equestrian grounds at Centennial Park.

The Modern Pentathlon Homologation test for the 2012 London Olympic Games is currently taking place at LOCOG Headquarters.

Youth Olympic Games Modern Pentathletes Nathan Schrimsher (USA) & Aleix Heredia (ESP) share their thoughts together with other Youth Olympic games athletes about 1 year to go until the London 2012 Olympic and their hopes of qualification.

British Modern Pentathlete hopefuls Mhairi Spence, Freyja Prentice and Heather Fell talk to ITV about their dreams of making the Great Britain London 2012 Olympic team.

Check out the newly launched Modern Pentathlon London 2012 page at pentathlon.org/competitions/london-2012/. Here will be the central news hub for everything to do with Modern Pentathlon at the 2012 London Olympic Games. This page includes:

 

All the up to date news on Modern Pentathlon at the London 2012 Olympic Games Countdown till the eagerly anticipated opening of the games List of past Olympic Champions All the important Olympic Downloads Details on Olympic Facilities Biographies on Qualified Athletes Information on Olympic Qualification events General London 2012 News

 

Enjoy the lead up to the 100 year anniversary of Modern Pentathlon at the Olympic Games.

The London 2012 Handball Arena – the venue at which the world’s top modern pentathletes will begin their quest for Olympic gold – has been officially handed over to the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG).

The riding and combined event will be held in Greenwich Park, part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site that also includes the Old Royal Naval College and the National Maritime Museum. London’s oldest Royal Park, dating back to 1433, Greenwich Park contains the Royal Observatory, which is the home of Greenwich Mean Time. During the running element, the athletes will run alongside the meridian line.

The swimming element will be held at the Aquatics Centre, designed by internationally acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid and built within the Olympic Park for London 2012. With room for 17,500 spectators beneath its spectacular, wave-like roof, the Aquatics Centre will stage many of the Aquatics events during the Olympic Games and the Swimming events during the Paralympic Games. After London 2012, it will be transformed into a facility for the local community, clubs and schools, as well as elite swimmers. Athletes will be given an opportunity to swim in the competition pool before the event.

The fencing element of the competition will be held at the 7,000-capacity Handball Arena, built within the Olympic Park especially for London 2012. Designed by Make Architects, a London-based architectural practice, the Handball Arena will feature more than 3,000 square metres of external copper cladding, giving it a distinctive appearance and a rich natural colour. After the Games, it will be converted into a multi-sports venue for everything from international competition to community sports.