Jed Jacobsohn for The New York Times
David Svoboda of the Czech Republic competed in the modern pentathlon at the 2012 Games. The modern pentathlon is a series of five sports — shooting; fencing; a 200-meter freestyle swim; show jumping; and a 3,000-meter cross-country run.
This week, unfamiliar horses prevailed over familiar wrestlers.
In a decision that caused bafflement and anger among many sports fans, the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday eliminated wrestling from the Summer Games.
But the move preserved a place for one of the Olympics' more obscure sports: the modern pentathlon.
By some measures, the modern pentathlon is neither modern, nor a pentathlon. Introduced to the modern Olympic Games by their founder, Pierre de Coubertin, more than a century ago, the modern pentathlon is a series of five sports — shooting; fencing; a 200-meter freestyle swim; show jumping with an unfamiliar horse; and a 3,000-meter cross-country run.
In a bid to make the sport more accessible, organizers combined the running and shooting events to make for a four-event spectacle at the London 2012 Games. The competition is considered to be the test of the complete athlete, its proponents say.
"My colleagues and I have been worried," said Dr. Klaus Schormann, president of the International Union of Modern Pentathlon, the sport's world governing body. "But we knew what we offered and what we showed has been successful."
Schormann said he told I.O.C. officials about a decade ago to give him 10 years to revamp the sport. In the weeks before the I.O.C.'s decision, he said he felt confident that his efforts helped spare the sport from elimination.
Pentathlon organizers have made changes over the years to try to make the sport more exciting.
In 1984, the final event, running, was changed to a staggered start, with the leader in the competition setting out first and the others following based on how many points they trailed by. In 1996, the five events were compressed to a single day, rather than four or five. The sport opened to women at the Sydney Games in 2000, and at the London Games in 2012, a combined running and laser shooting event made its debut, eliminating the use of traditional firearms.
In 2016, organizers aim to host all of the disciplines over five hours in one stadium.
Schormann credited the recent changes to the sport, especially the inclusion of women in 2000 and a broader swath of countries competing, with helping the I.O.C.'s decision to keep modern pentathlon.
"It is a movement of women," Schormann said. "In our sport, everything the women do is equal to the men. And more people are training around the world in different societies and religious groups. It's open to everyone."
The United States has not won an Olympic medal in the sport since Emily deRiel's silver at the 2000 Games in Sydney, but Schormann said that the sport's base among young people is strong, especially in many Eastern European countries.
"We are pleased," said Rob Stull, the managing director of USA Pentathlon, and a three-time Olympian, after learning of the decision. "Though personally I am disappointed for anyone in the Olympic family who is faced with this."
Perhaps the most famous American modern pentathlete was the fifth-place finisher at the 1912 Olympic Games: George S. Patton Jr., then a 26-year-old lieutenant.
Patton's trainer is said to have given him opium, legal at the time, to prepare him for the cross-country run. He blamed his poor shooting performance on a judging error; he claimed one of his shots, which was deemed to have missed the target, was instead so accurate that it had precisely passed through one of his earlier bullet holes. The authoritative "The Complete Book of the Olympics" by David Wallechinsky and Jaime Loucky states that "there is no evidence at all to support his contention."
The military ties to the sport remained strong, and it was not until 1952 that a civilian, Lars Hall of Sweden, won. Dennis Bowsher competed for the United States at the London Games as a member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program.
One of the challenges of the equestrian portion is that athletes may not bring their own mount, but must ride an unfamiliar horse. In 1968, Hans Jürgen Todt of West Germany was so incensed by the poor performance of his mount that he attacked it after the ride and was restrained by his teammates.
And the sport has not been without controversy. In 1976, the strong performance in fencing by Boris Onishchenko of the Soviet Union raised suspicion, and his épée was confiscated. It was found to contain a circuit breaker that enabled him to record a hit whenever he pressed a concealed button. He was sent home in disgrace.
The I.O.C.'s decision secures the modern pentathlon's place in the 2016 and 2020 Summer Games, and its advocates are optimistic about its longevity and ability to expand beyond the Olympics.
That includes Grace Kittle, a 24-year-old from Dallas who is training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Kittle is competing in the U.S.A. Modern Pentathlon World Cup next week in Palm Springs, Calif., and is vying for a spot on the 2016 American team.
"A lot of people pretend that they know what it is," Kittle said. "But they have no idea. But when they hear about it, they think it's the coolest thing."
She added, "It's always great to hear that your sport will continue on."
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