GENEVA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) announced Wednesday that China's Guiyang will host the 2026 World Championships in August for the first time.
The event will run from Aug. 24 to 30 in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou province, and will launch a two-week "Race Across China" that also includes the second UIPM Obstacle World Championships in Beijing on Sept. 2, about 2,000 kilometers to the north.
It will be the second time in three years that the annual championships are held in China, after Zhengzhou hosted the 2024 edition.
UIPM President Rob Stull said Guiyang's bid stood out for its approach to presenting the sport.
"When we met with Guiyang, what they're willing to do for us in terms of showcasing the sport is not the sort of standard recipe of how you bake a cake. It was a different approach in how to present the sport in their style," Stull said. "You know the Shanghais, the Beijings, but we also wanted to offer something different."
The UIPM Executive Board approved Guiyang as the host during its first online session of 2026, alongside several other decisions.
A fifth shooting series will be added to Laser Run, while the swimming distance will be reduced from 200 meters to 100 meters. Both changes, approved by the Executive Board, will take effect immediately.
"We want to keep it more compact. It's all about maintaining the energy in the room," Stull said. "We are trying to make sure that even the transition periods are very exciting."
"The innovative changes to Laser Run and Swimming are designed to make Pentathlon a more dynamic spectacle for viewers and will be implemented in the coming 2026 season in the interests of adding compelling value to all future Olympic Games starting in LA28," he added.
The Executive Board also approved Stull's appointment of Kitty Chiller as UIPM first vice president, and allowed youth athletes (aged 19 and under) with Russian and Belarusian passports to compete for Russia and Belarus respectively in youth competitions.
"The Executive Board had an invigorating first meeting of 2026, and I'm delighted that our global sports family is moving forward as one unified community," Stull said. ■
