As well as the traditional form of the sport, which incorporates all five disciplines, the UIPM sanctions five other formats – Tetrathlon (four disciplines), Traithle (three disciplines), and three others involving two disciplines in the form of Biathle, World Schools Biathlon and Laser-Run.

Tetrathlon Swimming, Running, Shooting and Fencing

Tetrathlon is the last step before the full modern pentathlon event. Competitions feature swimming, running, shooting, and fencing, with all four taking place on the same day.

The Tetrathlon originated as a sport for boys, although there are now competitions for girls and for different age groups. It requires competitors to demonstrate general athletic ability and a steady hand for shooting.

Minimus competitions are staged for eight to 11-year-olds, while those aged 12 to 14 compete in the junior classification. Athletes aged between 15 and 21 participate in either intermediate or open events, depending on their skill level.

The premier worldwide event in Tetrathlon is the World Youth A Championships, which are due to be held this year in Limerick, Ireland from July 14 to 18.

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Triathle Shooting, Swimming and Running

Triathle is a new development initiative by UIPM in which athletes compete in a shoot-swim-run competition. Triathle made its debut on the international stage at the Biathle Triathle World Championships 2013.

From 2014 onwards, it became a part of the Biathle World Tour to constitute the Biathle-Triathle World Tour.

Triathle events are staged at both international and national level, with the highest echelon being the UIPM World Tour and UIPM World Championships, and are split into three formats: UIPM Beach Traithle, UIPM Street Triathle and UIPM Discontinuous Triathle. Athletes ranging from under 11 to 60 years and over participate in this innovative event.

The youngest athletes compete in a 50 metres swim, a 400m run and are given 10 shots from a distance of three metres, while the seniors - competitors aged 22 and over - participate in a 200m swim, a 3.2 kilometres run and have 20 shots from 10 metres.

The Biathle/Triathlete World Tour calendar is growing in popularity. In 2016, five events will be held, starting with the series opener in Graz in Austria in June. The event will then go on to visit Cuba, India, Argentina and Egypt, highlighting the universal appeal the format currently enjoys.

The Biathle/Triathle World Championships this year are due to be jointly held in Sarasota in the United States from October 21 to 23, while the 2017 event has been awarded to Kuşadası in Turkey.

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Biathle Running and Swimming

Biathle is a sub-sport of Modern Pentathlon invented to create opportunities to train for the running and swimming elements of the sport in race conditions.

It can also be seen as a sport in its own right. It bears a close resemblance to aquathlon, which also involves swimming and running but comes from triathlon sport.

Biathle is an event that involves the following sequence: Run-Swim-Run. It is a world class sport but not an Olympic one. The legs are raced with continuous transitions like triathlon. The race length is usually 200 m swim and 3.2 km run, which is shorter than aquathlon.

There is a variant in the form of Winter Biathle, which involves an indoor swimming and does not have continuous transitions.

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World Schools Biathlon Running and Swimming

World Schools Biathlon is a fun and simple way to organize event which helps National Federations increase their membership numbers and also to identify talent and recruit the right type of athletes for international events.

The event consists of two separate disciplines - swimming and running. The swimming discipline is conducted first in a 25m or 50m pool and then the running discipline, which involves a pack start, preferably on a standardised track although it can also be carried out on a flat surface if extra care is taken so that the distances are correct.

The age categories, ranging from under 9 to under 19, involve distances that rise from a 50m swim and a 400m run to a 200m swim and a 1600m run.

This is a great opportunity to give thousands of youngsters an experience of UIPM modern pentathlon with a scoring system which attempts to balance the performances in different sports.

The system of competition effectively allows athletes worldwide to compete against each other by having their National Federations send the results to UIPM who in turn compile and maintain the current world standings.

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Laser-Run Running and Shooting

Laser-Run is the latest original creation of UIPM, using a format of the combined shooting and running event which is designed to allow more athletes an entry point into the most demanding of Olympic sports.

Laser-Run was launched in 2015 with its own World Championships. Athletes of all ages from eight to 80 can participate and the event can be staged on beaches, in cities and in the countryside.

Laser-Run combines running and shooting in fast-paced and dynamic races including four rounds of laser pistol shooting from 10 metres distance and four times 800 metres run. Athletes have to hit a target five times before they can run. The total number of hits is 20 and total running distance is 3,200 metres.

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