International Coaches Conference
Some 70 coaches from around the world attended the 1st International Modern Pentathlon Coaches Conference held in Bath, England over 24th – 26th October 2008. Including the home nations, 18 countries were represented. A group of top presenters were available to speak and generate debate on subjects covering swimming a 200m freestyle faster, swim biomechanics, the talent ID system in GBR, strength and conditioning, endurance running, fencing, an alternative approach to running the 1 day format shooting. A member of the English Football Assc gave us a comparison between dealing with elite performers in football with elite performers in Modern Pentathlon.
Bath, the home of GB Modern Pentathlon, provided excellent facilities and accommodation which was appreciated by all that attended the conference. Chairman of the UIPM Technical Committee, Mauro Tirinnanzi, said that it was a huge success and he was pleased with the initiative by GBR.
Progress and the AGM
Pentathlon GB’s AGM took place on Saturday 25 October. The AGM was an opportunity for members to hear and celebrate some excellent good news. In addition to our Olympic success, membership of the Association has risen from about 3,200 at this time last year to a current 4,200 and rising, a welcome further increase on which, as our Chairman pointed out, we must build.
The nominations for Board membership were unopposed. We are far from encouraging hotly contested elections, but the Board is always on the lookout for new members who are willing to give their time and abilities in the interest of the sport.
The meeting adopted the revised Memorandum and Articles of Association, a copy of which is now available for download and which brings our corporate framework in line with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
All in all the AGM heard of and enjoyed the considerable progress we have made in the last year in our sport.
Parade of Heroes
The four members of Great Britain¹s Beijing 2008 modern pentathlon team joined Olympic and Paralympic athletes in the Parade of Heroes in London on Thursday (16th October).
Heather Fell, Katy Livingston, Sam Weale and Nick Woodbridge were among some 350 British Olympic and Paralympic athletes taking part in the parade.
Nick, Sam, Katy and Heather pictured with David Weatherill, Paralympic table tennis player.
Picture courtesy of Steve Ballinger, Matchtight Ltd
Many thousands of people lined the streets of London to applaud the achievements of British athletes in Beijing. The parade ran from the Mansion House in the City to a celebration event in Trafalgar Square.
The Olympians, along with members of their coaching teams, then went on to Buckingham Palace to attend a reception hosted by the Queen.
Heather said: "It's been a whirlwind since Beijing. Coming to the parade has to make any athlete think about London 2012."
Sam added: "It was a fantastic day. Everyone seemed so proud and excited. It was great to be a part of it and to see the pride on people's faces."
The parade also provided athletes with an opportunity to renew friendships they had struck up with athletes from other sports in Beijing.
Britain's modern pentathletes maintained the country's outstanding track record in the sport in Beijing. Heather won the silver medal while Katy finished seventh. Sam and Nick became the first British male pentathletes to compete at an Olympic Games since 1996, with Sam finishing 10th and Nick 25th.
Among the athletes from other sports taking part in the parade were cyclist Chris Hoy, a triple gold medallist in Beijing, double swimming gold medallist Rebecca Adlington and Paralympic equestrian triple gold medallist Lee Pearson.
NOTICE OF 2008 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
We have pleasure in inviting you to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Modern Pentathlon Association of Great Britain Limited which will be held in room 6.1W at the University of Bath on Saturday 25 October at 16.00. Doors will open at 15.30 and tea will be available on arrival.
The routine business to be conducted this year will include the receipt of the income and expenditure account and balance sheet; the reports of the Board and of the Auditors for the year ended 31 March 2008; the appointment of auditors and the election of Directors for the two-year period.
The papers (6Mb) may be downloaded here (AGM Papers including directions to the meeting room and proposed new Memorandum & Articles) hard copies will be made available on the day.
We hope you will be able to attend the AGM, but in any event we would be grateful if you could kindly confirm attendance by 17 October 2008 to admin@pentathlongb.org
We look forward to seeing you on the 25 October.
PETER HART
Chief Executive
Heather takes Silver at World Cup Final
Heather Fell took the silver medal in an exciting World Cup Final at Caldas da Rainha, Portugal this afternoon (4th October). Katy Livingston took 4th place and Mhairi Spence 6th. More to follow.
Pentathlon – Past and Future Generations
Sometime’s it’s the family silver, and sometimes you just inherit your dad’s nose. But in the case of one family, a passion for Pentathlon has definitely been passed down in the genes.
With Peter & Emma Young warming up for competition at the Youth Pentathlon Championships in Solihull last weekend, an old picture came to light of the 1935 Modern Pentathlon Championship of Great Britain, featuring none other than their Great-Uncle, Major Gerald Astley-Cooper. Sadly, he didn’t take the individual prize that year, being, we imagine, pipped at the post by Lt CPD Legard of 5th Innis D.G (according to the trophy in the office).
The photograph was, we think, taken at Wellington College and if anybody can identify any of the other participants or shed any more light on this fantastic item of Pentathlon history, we’d love to hear from you at admin@pentathlongb.org. The seal at the top of the photo reads ‘Royal Military College’, which could possibly be Sandhurst, but Wellington also had strong military connections.
We are, of course, all sure the Major would be very proud of his grand-niece & nephews choice of sport."
British Youth Pentathlon Championships
The results for the British Youth Modern Pentathlon Championships held at Solihull on 30th and 31st August can be accessed through the results search page or directly from following links.
| Boys | Girls |
| Youth A Boys | Youth A Girls |
| Youth B Boys | Youth B Girls |
| Youth C Boys | Youth C Girls |
| Youth D Boys | Youth D Girls |
| Youth E Girls |
Photos from the weekend can be accessed here. The username is mpagb and the password is hyde.
Olympic Success
Heather Fell continued the success of the British Modern Pentathlon team at the Olympic Games by winning the silver medal in Beijing. Katy Livingston rounded off a good day to finish in 7th place. Full story.
In the men's event Sam Weale produced a determined performance to finish 10th overall on his Olympic debut. Nick Woodbridge climbed the field after a slow start in the shoot and fence to finish 25th, breaking the Olympic Games swimming record in the process. Full story.
Junior Worlds Success
Congratulations to the women's team of Charlotte Grandfield, Freyja Prentice and Lucy Ferguson who took the Silver medal in the Junior World Championships in Cairo on 11th July.
Vacancy
National Competitions Manager
The opportunity has arisen for the post of National Competitions Manager.
We require an enthusiastic and organised person to deliver our national competition programme and to support the Event Director of the Modern Pentathlon World Championships in 2009.
The post holder will be responsible for organising and marketing our competitions and events countrywide and should have experience and a keen interest in Modern Pentathlon.
The post holder should demonstrate previous experience of organising successful sporting competitions and events. Budgetary responsibilities are associated with this role and the post holder should have proven experience of setting, monitoring and achieving budgets.
The post holder should be an excellent communicator as he/she will be required to create and maintain links with key external partners; liaise with Pentathlon GB staff and competitors; as well as recruiting, training and leading a volunteer workforce event(s) team to assist in the staging of national and regional competitions.
The ability to work on own initiative, prioritise workloads and achieve deadlines is essential for this post, as are accuracy and attention to detail. It is important that you are PC literate with solid IT skills. Good written and spoken English are also required.
Pentathlon GB is an equal opportunity employer and has a non-smoking policy.
This is a fixed term contract for 1 year, with the possibility of extention.
An application form can be downloaded here and job description here.
BOA announce Men's Modern Pentathlon athletes
The British Olympic Association today announced the selection of two additional members of the Modern Pentathlon Team to compete in Beijing.
The athletes are:
Men’s Event
Sam Weale
Nick Woodbridge
Click here for full story.
Steph Cook receives Honorary Degree
Dr Stephanie Cook, the former Olympic, World and European champion modern pentathlete, has been awarded an honorary degree by the University of Bath.
Dr Cook was presented with a Doctor of Medicine during a graduation ceremony at Bath Abbey.
It was a particularly moving moment for Dr Cook, who spent two years training at the Pentathlon GB high performance centre at the University of Bath at the height of her sporting success. “I’m honoured and delighted to receive this honorary degree,” she said. “Bath will always have a special place in my heart for everything it did for me during my career as a modern pentathlete.
“I had a terrific team behind me in Bath which enabled me to achieve all that I did and it proved once again that collectively a group can achieve so much more than an individual.”
Dr Cook also praised the University’s outstanding sports facilities that helped her and so many other athletes achieve their full potential.
Dr Cook became the first woman to win modern pentathlon gold at Sydney 2000, when the women’s event made its Olympic debut.
The British modern pentathlete added the European Championship crown in Bulgaria in 2001 and followed that up by winning gold at the World Championships at Millfield in Somerset. That made her one of the few athletes in any sport to have held the Olympic, World and European titles at the same time – a feat all the more remarkable given that her sport features five different disciplines.
University of Bath Chancellor Lord Tugendhat presented the honorary degree to Dr Cook, following an oration by Dr Dylan Thompson, a senior lecturer at the University’s School for Health. He praised Dr Cook’s achievements in mastering five different sporting disciplines to such a high level and showing the same dedication in her new career as a doctor. Dr Cook has worked as a hospital consultant and is currently training to be a GP.
Although no longer competing as an athlete, Dr Cook hasn’t lost her ties with sport – she is currently a member of the Sports Advisory Group for the London 2012 Organising Committee and was a founder member of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine.
Beijing Olympic Selection
Heather Fell and Katy Livingston will represent Team GB in the women's modern pentathlon at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the British Olympic Association (BOA) announced today (Wednesday 11th June).
The pair will both make their Olympic debuts in Beijing. Katy won the individual bronze medal at the World Championships in Budapest last month, while Heather won individual silver at the 2007 European Championships in Riga, Latvia.
Simon Clegg, Team GB 2008 Chef de Mission, said: "Modern pentathlon has been a very successful sport for Team GB in the past and Katy and Heather are both exciting prospects for Beijing this summer."
Mhairi Spence will be the team's travelling reserve for Beijing. Great Britain is waiting to learn whether British male pentathletes have qualified for Beijing.
For further information on Heather and Katy's selection for the Beijing Olympic Games, please click here.
Women take Team Relay Silver
Great Britain’s women modern pentathletes ended their World Championships campaign on a high note by winning their third medal – a silver in the team relay competition.
Heather Fell, Katy Livingston and Mhairi Spence teamed up to finish second in the team relay in Budapest today (Monday).
It rounded off an impressive World Championships for the British women at which Katy Livingston had already won an individual bronze medal and the trio of Heather Fell, Georgina Harland and Mhairi Spence won team silver.
Bronze for Katy
Katy Livingston took Bronze at the World Championships Final in Budapest today (31st May), coming from 5th place at the start of the run. Heather Fell took fourth place. Mhairi Spence and Georgina Harland took 19th and 31st places respectively.
1. CAZE (FRA) 5616
2. MEDANY (EGY) 5596
3. LIVINGSTON (GBR) 5588
The women's team of Heather, Mhairi and Georgina took the silver medal, behind Poland.
1. POL 16168
2. GBR 16060
3. HUN 16052
More detail to follow in the News Headlines section.
World Championships
The World Championships take place in Budapest from 29 May to 4 June.
You can follow the progress of the GB athletes on the UIPM website or on the competition website.
Job Opportunity - World Championships
Preparations for the World Championships, to be held at Crystal Palace on 13th - 18th August 2009, will commence shortly.
We require a reliable and conscientious person to act as Assistant to the Championships Director.
The following documents can be downloaded:
Advert
Job Description
Application Form
Team GB Beijing 2008 website launched
The BOA have launched their Team GB Beijing 2008 website. The site contains information on every Olympic sport and Team GB athlete as well as links and contact details for all the National Governing Bodies.
A flyer giving more details can be downloaded here.
Notice of 2008 AGM
This year’s AGM will be held at University of Bath, Claverton Road, Bath, BA2 7AY on Saturday, 25 October 2008 at 16.00.
The Agenda and directions can be downloaded here.
View Events with Closing Dates soon
View Events Added in last 2 weeks
View Events Updated in last 2 weeks
Headlines
13-11-2008 Interim Selection Policy for 2009 Season more...08-11-2008 British Triathlon Championships - Roadworks more...
07-11-2008 British Triathlon Championships - Provisional Timetable more...
04-11-2008 South African Medals for Biathle Team more...
30-10-2008 Conference Presentation Downloads - now available more...
30-10-2008 Georgina to sit on UIPM Executive Board more...
18-10-2008 British Triathlon Championships - Entries more...
13-10-2008 International Coaches Conference - Fully Subscribed more...
more news...
Forthcoming Event Closing Dates
13-12-2008 British Senior and Junior Modern Pentathlon Championships and Selection Competition 2009 #1 Closing Date: 21-11-200807-12-2008 Regional Training Day (Christmas Competition) Closing Date: 03-12-2008
03-01-2009 West Midlands Winter Tetrathlon Closing Date: 06-12-2008
04-01-2009 indoor triathlon Closing Date: 12-12-2008
17-01-2009 Selection Competition 2009 #2 Closing Date: 12-12-2008
18-01-2009 Dorset Biathlon Competition Closing Date: 12-01-2009
25-01-2009 North of England Winter Biathlon and Triathlon Closing Date: 12-01-2009
14-02-2009 Selection Competition 2009 #3 Closing Date: 23-01-2009
more events...
Events updated in last 2 weeks
12-09-2009 (Updated: 14-11-2008) GB Biathle Series Race Closing Date: 25-08-200802-08-2009 (Updated: 14-11-2008) National Biathle Championships Closing Date: 01-07-2009
27-06-2009 (Updated: 14-11-2008) GB Biathle Series Race & World Tour Biathle Closing Date: 30-05-2009
04-01-2009 (Updated: 11-11-2008) indoor triathlon Closing Date: 12-12-2008
17-01-2009 (Updated: 07-11-2008) Selection Competition 2009 #2 Closing Date: 12-12-2008
14-02-2009 (Updated: 07-11-2008) Selection Competition 2009 #3 Closing Date: 23-01-2009
15-11-2008 (Updated: 07-11-2008) British Triathlon Championships
