2012's Modern Pentathlon venues are fit for the people

Klaus, president of the International Union of Modern Pentathlon

2012's Modern Pentathlon venues are fit for the people

Klaus, president of the International Union of Modern Pentathlon,
21 May 2009

Modern Pentathlon has been part of every Olympic Games since Stockholm 1912, which means we will be celebrating our centenary in three years' time. I have seen the plans for how London will stage our sport in 2012 and I am confident that athletes and spectators alike will be very impressed.

The Fencing event will be held in the Handball Arena, Swimming will be at the Aquatics Centre and the Riding will take place in Greenwich Park. This was my first visit to Greenwich Park and it made a real impression on me and all of my colleagues. How big it is, and the historic buildings that are situated in and around the Park!

It was wonderful to stand at the top of the hill by the Royal Observatory and look down at the Queen's House and the Old Royal Naval College with the modern skyline of the city behind. I think it will be a very popular view with the media in 2012 – in fact, I already have a picture in my head of how it will look. I have been involved in the Olympic Games since 1972, when I was deputy competition manager in Munich, so I know what it means for us to be in such a place.

We learned that the Park will be set up in a way that will help spectators understand our sport and get close to the action. Over the years we have found people coming to watch our sport because they enjoy the different disciplines. We are sure they will enjoy the style of presentation that is planned for 2012.

The most exciting part of my visit was seeing how the famous buildings of Greenwich fit so beautifully in the landscape. From a distance, some of them look like castles. And horses have been close to castles throughout history!

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