General chairperson of Indonesian Modern Pentathlon (MPI), Anthony Charles Soenarjo, has revealed that the modern pentathlon exhibition at the  Papua National Sports Week (PON)  XX is a preparatory event ahead of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

“Only second-tier athletes are allowed to participate at Papua PON. XX Any Southeast Asian (SEA) Games medal winner is not allowed to compete as the national sporting event is our opportunity to prepare athletes for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games,” he explained during an online talk on the Modern Pentathlon Exhibition at the  Papua PON XX Media Center at the Jakarta Convention Center on Thursday.

The modern pentathlon is being competed at the national level for the first time at Papua PON XX, although the sport has been contested since the first edition of the Olympics and in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and the 2019 Philippines SEA Games, he noted.

Since modern pentathlon is an outdoor sport, each athlete needs to be in excellent physical shape, Soenarjo said.

“Through XX Papua PON, we expect to find the new ‘Dea Salsabila Putri’ (the 2019 Philippines SEA Games three gold medals winner) who can make MPI and Indonesia proud in future global competitions,” he added. Modern pentathlon is a combination of five sports — swimming, fencing, riding, shooting, and running. However, the modern pentathlon competed at the Papua PON XX will only comprise swimming, shooting, and running.

Secretary general of MPI as well as MPI competition manager for the XX Papua PON exhibition, Castor Jonis Tindage, informed that 34 male and female athletes from eight provinces are competing in the sport.

“Currently, they are already in Papua to prepare for the venue test round,” he informed.

There will be six events of the sport: men’s and women’s triathle, men’s and women’s laser run, mix relay triathle, and mix relay laser run.

“We are still preparing the venue for the match. Meanwhile, the technical meeting has been completed. One day before the exhibition begins, the participants may test the venue,” he added.

Source: Antara News