Ethics CasesSport

Cases · UIPM / IOC · 2021–2023

Modern Pentathlon Drops the Horse: Animal Welfare, Tradition and Olympic Survival

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in August 2021, German pentathlete Annika Schleu, leading the women's event, drew a horse named Saint Boy that refused to jump. Her coach, Kim Raisner, was filmed striking the horse and urging Schleu to hit it harder; the UIPM expelled Raisner from the Games. Within three months the UIPM's executive board moved to replace riding, a part of the sport since 1912, and in November 2022 its congress voted 83% in favor of obstacle racing. The IOC confirmed modern pentathlon for Los Angeles 2028 in October 2023. Many athletes protested, saying the change destroyed the sport's identity and was decided without them. The case asks how sports should respond to animal welfare failures, how much tradition should yield to Olympic survival, and whether athletes had enough voice.

By Tanner Simkins, editor

Timeline

  1. At Tokyo 2020, Saint Boy refuses to jump for leader Annika Schleu; coach Kim Raisner is filmed striking the horse.
  2. The UIPM Executive Board gives Raisner a black card, disqualifying her from the rest of the Games.
  3. The UIPM announces its board has endorsed replacing riding after Paris 2024 and opens a consultation.
  4. The UIPM picks obstacle racing for testing; athletes' group Pentathlon United calls for an independent investigation.
  5. UIPM Congress votes 69-11, with three abstentions, to add obstacle discipline.
  6. The IOC Session confirms modern pentathlon, with obstacle racing, for Los Angeles 2028.
  7. Paris 2024 is the last Olympics to include riding in modern pentathlon.

The ethical issues

  • Animal welfare when horses are randomly assigned to riders under pressure.
  • Accountability of coaches and athletes for harm to animals.
  • Tradition and the sport's original identity versus adaptation.
  • Pressure from the IOC to stay on the Olympic programme.
  • Athlete voice and consent in major rule changes.
  • Governance transparency and trust in the federation.

Stakeholders

StakeholderInterests & obligations
HorsesFreedom from fear, pain and mistreatment.
PentathletesA fair, safe sport and a voice in its future.
CoachesClear standards and fair discipline.
UIPM leadershipKeeping the sport in the Olympics and protecting its reputation.
IOCAn appealing, affordable and credible Olympic programme.
Fans and broadcastersEngaging competition without animal welfare scandals.

The case

On August 6, 2021, Germany’s Annika Schleu entered the riding phase of the women’s modern pentathlon at the Tokyo Olympics in first place. She had about 20 minutes to get to know Saint Boy, a horse she had never ridden, which had already refused to jump for a previous rider. Saint Boy balked, bucked and refused fences. Her coach, Kim Raisner, was heard on German television urging the tearful Schleu to “really hit” the horse, and was filmed striking it with her fist. Schleu finished the round with no points and lost her lead.[1][3] Within three months, riding’s 109-year place in the sport was effectively over.

Background

Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics, created modern pentathlon for the 1912 Stockholm Games. It was modeled on a cavalry officer behind enemy lines: riding, fencing, shooting, swimming and running, as a test of the “complete athlete.” Riding has always used horses provided by the host and drawn at random, with only a short warm-up, making it one of the most unpredictable events in the Games.[3][4]

The sport had been under pressure for years. The UIPM, its international federation, set up an Innovation Commission in 2016 to review its format in light of the IOC’s reform agenda, and had condensed the event into a 90-minute format for Paris 2024.[4]

The rules and governance

UIPM competition rules disqualify a pentathlete for “rapping or beating a horse and all other cases of cruelty and/or ill treatment of a horse.”[2] The UIPM Executive Board can act during competition; a Disciplinary Panel reviews conduct afterward. The UIPM Congress of national federations approves changes to its statutes, and the IOC decides which sports appear on the Olympic programme.[6][7]

Decision point: punishing the incident

On August 7, before the men’s event resumed, the Executive Board gave Raisner a black card, disqualifying her from the rest of the Games, after reviewing video showing her “appearing to strike the horse Saint Boy … with her fist.”[1] Germany’s athlete group, Athleten Deutschland, criticized the “hostility and partly open hate” directed at Schleu online and called for rule changes “to ensure animal protection and appropriate competition conditions.”[3]

A UIPM Disciplinary Panel later found Raisner had violated the rules by striking the horse and encouraging her athlete to do the same, which it called “shocking to this Panel and indeed the world.” It upheld her exclusion, issued an official reprimand, warned her that a repeat could cost her coaching certification, and ordered her to attend a coach education seminar including a humane treatment of animals module. It found that Schleu’s use of whip and spurs was not excessive and took no action against her. It urged the UIPM to change its rules “to safeguard and ensure the health, safety and humane treatment of our animals and athletes.”[2]

Decision point: removing riding

In early November 2021, the Guardian reported that the UIPM board had secretly voted to remove riding.[3] On November 4 the UIPM announced that its Executive Board had unanimously endorsed an Innovation Commission recommendation to replace riding with a discipline that “enhances the popularity and credibility” of the sport, effective after Paris 2024. Criteria included low cost, global accessibility, youth appeal and minimal injury. UIPM first vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. said: “We would be making a mistake if we were to take our place in the Olympic programme for granted past Paris 2024.”[4]

Reactions were split. Former British Olympic medalist Kate Allenby called the move a “disaster”: “it’s not modern pentathlon if it hasn’t got riding in it.” Another British Olympian, Greg Whyte, said: “All sports evolve, and no sport is immune from change in the modern TV era.”[3]

Decision point: the replacement and the backlash

More than 60 proposals were submitted. In May 2022 the UIPM chose obstacle racing for testing, calling it “compatible with the DNA of modern pentathlon” and citing cost, accessibility and appeal to younger audiences. Athletes’ group Pentathlon United said the sport was in “crisis,” and a letter signed by athletes including Tokyo champion Joe Choong asked IOC President Thomas Bach for an independent investigation of the UIPM’s governance. The group said a survey of 310 past and present athletes found 95% unhappy with the change. A Japanese athlete received a yellow card for wearing a “Keep Riding and Change the Rules” shirt at a World Cup event. Meanwhile, the IOC left modern pentathlon off its provisional list of sports for 2028.[5]

On November 12, 2022, the UIPM Congress voted 69 to 11, with three abstentions, to add obstacle discipline to its statutes. Samaranch told delegates: “if we do not approve the proposed new format going forward, we have zero chance of remaining in the Olympic Games.” The congress also adopted 12-year term limits for board members and the president.[6]

Aftermath

On October 16, 2023, the IOC Session in Mumbai confirmed modern pentathlon for Los Angeles 2028, with a head-to-head obstacle race inspired by the television show Ninja Warrior replacing riding.[7] Paris 2024 was the last Olympics to include riding in the sport.[5]

The core dilemma

The Tokyo incident exposed a format that placed athletes under extreme pressure on unfamiliar horses, with an animal’s welfare at stake. The UIPM could reform the rules or remove the discipline. Removal also served another goal: securing an Olympic place that the IOC appeared ready to withdraw. Was this an ethical response to an animal welfare failure, a strategic decision dressed up as one, or both? And did athletes, who overwhelmingly opposed it, get a fair say?

Competing values

  • Animal welfare vs. tradition: riding defined the sport for over a century, but its format put horses at risk.
  • Survival vs. identity: staying in the Olympics may require becoming a different sport.
  • Federation authority vs. athlete voice: leaders decided; many athletes felt excluded.
  • Individual accountability vs. systemic reform: one coach was punished, but the format remained the root issue.

Strongest arguments

For removing riding. The random draw of unfamiliar horses for athletes under Olympic pressure creates predictable risks to animal welfare and fairness. Riding was expensive and limited the sport’s global reach. Without change, the sport likely would have lost its Olympic place, harming every athlete.

Against removing riding. Riding was central to the sport’s identity. Rule changes, such as better horse selection, more preparation time or stricter welfare standards, could have fixed the problem. The decision was rushed, made secretly at first, and overrode strong athlete opposition.

A middle view. The welfare problem was real and required more than punishing one coach, but the process should have included athletes earlier and openly weighed reform against removal.

Applying the frameworks

Ethics of care

Care ethics centers vulnerable parties: here, the horse, and an athlete in distress. The incident shows a relationship of care failing under pressure. A caring response looks at the conditions that produced it, not only at blame.

Utilitarian

A utilitarian weighs harms and benefits. Removing riding ends a source of animal harm, cuts costs and may secure the sport’s future for thousands of athletes. Against this are the loss to current athletes who trained for riding, and to fans who valued the tradition.

Virtue ethics

Virtue ethics asks what kind of character the sport and its leaders displayed. Courage might mean facing hard change; honesty would mean being candid about Olympic pressure; respect would mean listening to athletes. A coach’s role is to model composure and care, which was absent in Tokyo.

Walk it through: the Simple Decision Model

  1. Spot the issue. Take the seat of a UIPM board member after Tokyo. The issue is animal welfare in a format that pairs athletes with unfamiliar horses, with Olympic status at risk. Stakeholders include horses, athletes, coaches, national federations, the IOC and fans.
  2. Gather facts. How often have such incidents occurred? What do welfare experts and athletes recommend? What has the IOC said? Watch for crisis-driven haste.
  3. Test options. Reform riding rules; replace riding; or keep riding while seeking IOC support.
  4. Check codes and law. UIPM rules on animal treatment, its statutes on changing disciplines, and IOC programme criteria.
  5. Decide and document. Publish the evidence and the reasoning, including the role Olympic status played.
  6. Communicate and follow up. Consult athletes openly, support those affected by the transition, and review whether the change met its welfare and participation goals.

What’s settled and what’s contested

Settled

  • Coach Kim Raisner was expelled from Tokyo 2020 after striking Saint Boy, and later reprimanded by a UIPM panel; Schleu faced no action.
  • The UIPM replaced riding with obstacle racing; its congress approved it 69-11 in November 2022.
  • The IOC confirmed modern pentathlon for Los Angeles 2028 with the new format.

Contested

  • Whether removing riding was a proportionate response or an overreaction.
  • How much the decision was driven by animal welfare versus Olympic survival.
  • Whether athletes had a fair say in the process.

Why this case matters

Sports involving animals carry special duties because animals cannot consent or speak for themselves. The pentathlon case shows how a single televised incident can force a sport to confront both its welfare record and its future, and how hard it is to balance tradition, survival and the voices of those who compete.

Key terms

Non-maleficence
The duty to avoid causing harm, often paired with care ethics when setting safety rules.
Stakeholders
Everyone with something at stake in a decision: athletes, coaches, parents, officials, fans, employees, sponsors, media, communities and regulators, including the less visible ones.
Commercialization
The process of turning sport into a product and a business enterprise, with profit pressures that can compete with principle.
Institutional accountability
Structures that make a sport organization explain its decisions and face consequences: clear authority, transparency, appeals, independent oversight and enforcement.
Agency
An athlete’s ability to make decisions and act independently about their body, career and voice.
Core values
The principles a sport organization says it stands for, most often safety, fairness, respect, integrity and transparency.

Definitions from the Ethics Cases glossary.

Discussion questions

  1. Was removing riding a proportionate response to what happened in Tokyo, or should the rules have been changed instead?
  2. Who was most responsible for Saint Boy's treatment: the coach, the athlete, or the format that paired riders with unfamiliar horses?
  3. How much weight should athletes' opposition carry when a federation fears losing Olympic status?
  4. Is a sport still 'the same' when one of its founding disciplines is replaced?

Sources

  1. Tokyo Olympics: German pentathlon coach thrown out for punching horse — BBC Sport
  2. UIPM Disciplinary Panel: Kim Raisner and Annika Schleu (GER) — UIPM
  3. Modern pentathlon votes to ditch horse riding after Tokyo Olympic turmoil — The Guardian
  4. UIPM opens consultation on replacement of Riding discipline in Modern Pentathlon — UIPM
  5. Modern pentathlon: Obstacle racing to be tested as sport looks to replace show jumping — BBC Sport
  6. UIPM 2022 Congress: 83% say Yes to Obstacle Discipline — UIPM
  7. "Los Angeles, here we come": Modern Pentathlon confirmed on 2028 Olympic Games programme — UIPM