1912 Olympic Games Official Report Part 2

MODERNPENTATHLON.PREPARATORY WORK OF THE COMMITTEE.n the proposal of its President, the InternationalOlympic Committee decided that, in the programmeof the Fifth Olympiad which was to be held inStockholm in 1912, there should be placed a newcompetition — the Modem Pentathlon — comprising thefollowing events : athletics, fencing, riding, swimmingand shooting.This decision was received with the greatest interest by the SwedishOlympic Committee which took its first steps for the organizationof the competition, as early as the autumn of 1910. This wasno easy matter, however, for there was nothing to go by as regardsthe new event as there was in the case of the other competitions.In determining the five branches of sport that were tomake up the Modem Pentathlon, the Swedish Olympic Committeehad the following points in view: the five events ought to be suchas would test the endurance, resolution, presence of mind, intrepidity,agility and strength of those taking part in the competition, while,in drawing up the detailed programme, it was necessary to have all theevents of equivalent value, in order to make the Modem Pentathlona competition of really all-round importance. As regards theshooting, which, of course, was not any test of physical strength, itwas necessary to demand a corresponding degree of skill in thatbranch, in order to make it equivalent to each of the other fourevents.640