New Formats

[JEP]

Did you know Modern Pantahlon is about to change format from 2009? After the fencing, swimming and showjumping the running and pistol shooting will become a combined event.

Run 20m shoot until you hit 5 targets or for 70secs if you don't, run 1km 5 targets again or 70 secs, run 1 km 5 targets again or 70 secs and finish with a 1km run. Some oddities like you do not actually have to hit a target, but it sounds fun for spectators - bit like biathlon. It is a chasing start based on first three disciplines.

Is the for the benefit of the spectators/TV or for the benefit of the athletes? Does it matter? Should we try new formats just to attempt to please spectators/TV, like micro which seems to have been assigned to the dustbin.

Strangely two big sports are desparate to keep the rules the same for the professionals and the amateurs so everyone is playing the same game - football and golf. That is why football is very reluctant to adopt video playbacks because you can't have that in the local park and golf has a rule book as long as your arm.

[gg]

i heard a rumour that modern pentathlon has made itself illegal under british law with this change of rules....

[graeme]

Should we try new formats just to attempt to please spectators/TV.

Certainly we should (continue to) try new formats to please competitors.

(but that wasn't the question).

We could do better for spectators - e.g. although spectator controls don't get much interest, having the run-in in full view seems to have gone out of fashion in all but the biggest events.

I think this could make a surprisingly big difference to event sociability, as it would provide an obvious place to hang out.

Graeme

[PMG]

I have compted in an orienteering relay in Hungary where you stopped and shot at a target a number of times with an air pistol part of the way round the course and then ran penalty loops for each miss.

Certainly brings in a spectator element - perhaps one for BAOC to pilot.

We did a less contentious version on one of our WMJS camps by having to toss pine cones into a bucket instead.

Great fun............... Peter

[mharky]

Orienteering Biathlon does exist, the world champs was in Ljungskile, Sweden, in August.