Pentathlon GB successfully hosts first World Coaches Conference

With 20 nations in attendance, the event at the Manchester Conference Centre over the weekend 8-10 November was a truly international affair with delegates from France, Germany, Turkey and beyond.

The conference got off to an unofficial start on Friday evening, with a keynote speech from former Bath Rugby and England rugby union player Phil de Glanville who emphasized the need for pentathlon coaches to identify the physical and technical prowess of their athletes, comparing the need for a more tactical awareness in his own sport.

As Hartpury College’s Director of Elite Sport, de Glanville was well-positioned to draw comparisons between the sports of pentathlon and rugby union, both very successful at Hartpury. He set up a high standard of presentation that was to set a theme for the conference.

Saturday opened officially with opening speeches from GB Olympic Team Manager Dominic Mahony and the UIPM’s Luca Barracchi, who called upon the delegates to find the time to contribute to a global effort to develop the sport of modern pentathlon, and congratulated them for taking the time to be present at the conference.

Then began the formal lectures on talent identification and development, the Pentathlon GB Coach Apprentice Programme and sports psychology for the modern pentathlete. This was followed by further lectures from Pentathlon GB Performance Director Jan Bartu, who discussed the financial impact of supporting a world-class athlete through an Olympiad.

After lunch, sport-specific lectures took place, with Dr Carl Payton discussing swimming biomechanics and race analyses, a discussion with Bernie Moss on the athlete-coach training log systems used at Pentathlon GB, and a discussion of the integration Pentathlon GB has with the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and how this benefits athletic performance and injury rehabilitation from Dr Paul D. Jackson, Deputy Director of Medicine at the EIS.

Saturday concluded with a discussion from laser pistol manufacturing rivals IQ Shooting and Pentashot EU and a keynote speech from the BBC’s Stuart Pollitt on the British media landscape and its relationship with modern pentathlon.

Sunday picked up where Saturday left off, jumping straight in with a fascinating review of a two-year PhD study by Claire Dadswell, an analysis by Carlton Rowlands M.Ost (Chamonix Sports Injury Clinic) of lower limb injuries in pentathlon and a speech from Luca Baracchi of the UIPM on their view of pentathlon development.

Finally, the conference concluded with an open forum, where delegates debated issues and proposed potential solutions to be presented at the next UIPM congress, covering matters such as the sustainability of the current calendar and how to ensure the WMPCC has a future in the sport.

Speaking at the conference, Pentathlon GB Performance Direct Jan Bartu said, “We didn’t expect the have the response we’ve had today. It’s great for Pentathlon GB and pentathlon worldwide.

“It’s been an opportunity to share experiences and network together so we can learn from each other. You can really feel the buzz. At events like this, we really are a community.”

The event has yet to be organized for next year, but with this year’s success there springs new hope that the WMPCC will become a cornerstone of pentathlon development worldwide. The dates for 2014 are 7th – 10th November 2014 and hope that federations can plan local calendars to block these dates out to enable maximum attendance.