Modern Pentathlon plan laser shooting trials

By James Toney, Sportsbeat

MODERN Pentathlon officials are planning yet more controversial changes to their sport - in a desperate bid to maintain their Olympic status.

ON TARGET: Great Britain's Heather Fell, an Olympic silver medallist, admits she is struggling to adapt to the new combined run/shoot event (Getty Images)

In the last 15 years the sport has undergone radical surgery to the fury of traditionalists who claim it is forgetting its roots.

It was transformed from a five-day event to a one-day competition for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

But the most drastic change came last year, when the shooting and running was combined into a biathlon style competition.

That format made its World Championship debut in London last month - with widely contrasting views on its success.

Now the world governing body, Union International de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), have commissioned a series of trials that will see lasers replace bullets on the shooting range.

They are hoping the move could appeal to a younger generation of fans and will also help circumnavigate problems with gun laws, especially ahead of the London 2012 Olympics.

Next month the International Olympic Committee will present their official report on last year's Beijing Games - and UIPM officials are sweating on the results.

Following the Athens report, they came out badly with their event placed among the lowest of all Olympic sports in its media coverage.

They were ranked 25th out of 28 in their TV coverage while media accreditation for their World Championships placed them 27th out of 28 - a key criteria is persuading IOC officials of the global popularity of their sport.

IOC members will vote next month to decide if golf and rugby sevens should be added to the programme for the 2016 Olympics, whose venue will also be decided at their annual session in Copenhagen.

All current Olympic sports are guaranteed their place on the 2016 schedule but the sports programme will be assessed again ahead of the 2020 Games.