Pentathlon In Most Danger Of Being Dropped From 2020 Olympics This Week

After months of evaluation, the IOC's "decision will come next week" on which sport to remove from the Olympics, and "the century-old competition of modern pentathlon appears the most at risk," according to Stephen Wilson of the AP. The IOC exec board will meet in Lausanne, Switzerland, and announce Tuesday "which of the current 26 sports on the Olympic program will be dropped for the 2020 Games." The IOC will also decide this year which sport to add as a replacement, with the "aim of refreshing and modernizing the Olympic sports lineup." Signs show that modern pentathlon, a tradition-laden contest once practiced in the Olympics by George S. Patton, "is facing the closest scrutiny." The sport has been criticized that it is "outdated, lacks global popularity and has only a small base of top competitors" (AP, 2/8).