UIPM new Executive Board meeting: Samaranch Jr elected 1st Vice-President

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND: January 21, 2017 - Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr has been elected 1st Vice-President of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) at the first full meeting of the new Executive Board.

Mr Samaranch (ESP) became a Vice-President of Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2016 and now takes up the most senior office in the UIPM Movement beneath the Presidency. He succeeds Ivar Sisniega (MEX).

Mr Samaranch accepted his election as 1st Vice-President of UIPM and said: "I am very happy with the results and the main objectives that were achieved by UIPM at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games."

Chaired by the UIPM President, Dr Klaus Schormann, at the Olympic Museum, in Lausanne, the meeting also featured a visit from Dr Thomas Bach, IOC President, who addressed the board and conveyed his satisfaction for UIPM following and applying the principles of Agenda 2020. He also briefed the board on the future of the Olympic Games and all the efforts the IOC is taking to protect clean athletes.

The final appointment to the Executive Board confirmed that there will be four female members in office during the 2016-2020 Olympic cycle. Dr Natalia Ofitserova (BLR) takes her place after being elected as Chair of the UIPM Medical Committee, replacing Prof Dr Fabio Pigozzi (ITA), who is President of the UIPM Anti-Doping Panel.

Dr Ofitserova, who has been a member of the Medical Committee since 2000, joins UIPM Secretary General Shiny Fang (CHN), Oceania Confederation President Kitty Chiller (AUS) and Athletes Committee Chair Aya Medany (EGY) as a strong representation of women on the new-look Executive Board.

Another key appointment in the UIPM hierarchy was confirmed when Viacheslav Aminov (RUS) was re-elected as Vice-President for Business Affairs.

Kuisung Choi (KOR), whose Vice-Presidency of the UIPM came to a conclusion in 2016, became a UIPM Honorary Member for Life.

The UIPM President, Dr Klaus Schormann, proposed a number of appointments to UIPM committees and commissions, all of which were approved by the board.

UIPM's Global Engagement Programme, aimed at growing the global popularity of its sports, continues to progress with key advances in three primary areas of the programme.

First, the UIPM's strategy of having the Mixed Relay included in future Olympic Games programmes starting with Tokyo 2020 was discussed at length. It was unanimously agreed that this innovative format will include Obstacle Course Racing as part of the Laser-Run discipline. This addition, with strong ties to the historical traditions of the Modern Pentathlon, will add additional value to the Modern Pentathlon event, and the Games itself, and UIPM will campaign strongly for its inclusion.

Secondly, it was reported to the board that more than 50 cities have registered for the new UIPM Laser-Run Global City Tour, which begins in Port Louis, Mauritius.

Finally, the UIPM Secretary General, Shiny Fang, briefed the board on the agreement signed with the TV network Eurosports at the beginning of January. In the context of the partnership, Modern Pentathlon will reach a broader audience with the live broadcast of the UIPM 2017 World Cup Final in Lithuania, in June, and the UIPM 2017 World Championships in Egypt, in September.

At the end of the meeting, Dr Klaus Schormann said: "This was a very important work session with the new Executive Board during which we appointed Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr as 1st Vice President of the UIPM. We also had budgetary discussions and we had the pleasure of a visit from Thomas Bach, who briefed us on the whole movement of the IOC linked to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games."

The 2017 competition season begins on February 22nd with UIPM World Cup #1 in Los Angeles, California (USA).

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