Lawyers for the MPADK made the demand to the UIPM in a letter, seen by insidethegames.

The UIPM Executive Board announced last week that the riding discipline would be replaced for Los Angeles 2028, with the governing body arguing the decision was "necessary to save modern pentathlon in the future".

The MPADK letter argues the UIPM Executive Board’s decision is in breach of the organisation’s statutes and competition rules, which the MPADK says makes it clear that horse riding is "integral to the sport of modern pentathlon".

It is claimed statute amendments would be required for the discipline to be changed, with the MPADK arguing "only the General Assembly has the power to amend the statutes" as the organisation’s supreme legislative body.

The MPADK says the UIPM Executive Board has also failed to demonstrate that the situation amounted to force majeure, which would enable the body to represent the General Assembly and amend competition rules.

"As the proposed change to the disciplines is not to be implemented until the 2028 Olympic Games, it is clear that the issue did not have to be irrevocably resolved by the EB as a matter of urgency and could have reasonably been resolved at the next meeting of the General Assembly," the letter reads.

"Further, the Executive Board has not established a force majeure event meaning it cannot seek to rely on this Article.

"Furthermore, and as noted above, removing horse-riding would require amendments of the statutes, not simply the competition rules, so this limb would not apply."

The MPADK has threatened to refer the matter to the UIPM Court of Arbitration or the Court of Arbitration for Sport, unless the UIPM confirms it has taken the following actions by November 17.

"The decision made by the Executive Board to amend the statutes and competition rules to remove horse-riding as a discipline of modern pentathlon is invalid and shall therefore be rescinded," the letter says.

"Should, following the rescission of the decision, UIPM seek to amend the statutes and competition rules to remove horse-riding as a modern pentathlon discipline, it shall follow the correct procedures and processes as required under UIPM’s constitutional documents by: (i) postponing the General Assembly meeting currently scheduled to take place on 27 November 2021; and (ii) properly reconvening the General Assembly meeting, providing the participants with all motions and a final agenda at least 30 days prior to the meeting, and further, with it being an election year, with nominations for elections."

A series of letters from National Federations including Australia, Czech Republic and Finland have also argued the UIPM has not justified the force majeure clause.

A briefing document had warned the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would "only accept a proposal without riding" for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic programme.

The decision has provoked an outcry from athletes, with almost 700 calling for the UIPM leadership to resign.

The UIPM had previously promised an "open dialogue" with athletes to discuss what discipline could replace riding before UIPM President Klaus Schormann admitted to the German press a decision had already been made without any such consultation.

In response to the athletes' letter, the UIPM said it is "fully aware of the concerns voiced by current and former athletes relating to the Executive Board decision to replace riding in modern pentathlon" and invited athletes to a call with the Executive Board tomorrow (November 12).

The MPADK letter will increase pressure on the UIPM before the meeting.

It was believed that cycling would replace riding, but the governing body has since denied a replacement discipline had been decided, despite Schormann's admission that a decision had already been made.

The UIPM has stressed that cycling will not replace riding.

Members of the UIPM's Athletes Committee, Coaches Committee and Technical Committee met with Schormann, UIPM vice-president Joël Bouzou and secretary general Shiny Fang today to discuss the consultation process.

It was agreed that a new 5th Discipline Working Group should be formed to analyse and advise next steps for the embattled governing body.

Athletes, coaches, National Federations, competition organisers, media and marketing experts and representatives from the UIPM's Technical Committee and Medical Committee will make up the working group, the UIPM says.

UIPM Innovation Commission chair Ivar Sisniega, a three-time Olympian in modern pentathlon, presented potential disciplines that could replace riding at the Executive Board meeting last week.

The UIPM admitted the incident at Tokyo 2020, where German coach Kim Raisner was sent home after punching the horse Saint-Boy during the riding section, was a key factor in the decision to drop the discipline.

Saint-Boy had refused to jump for Germany's then-competition leader Annika Schleu.