UIPM 2022 World Youth Championship U19 & U17 in Lignano Sabbiadoro “The future of Modern Pentathlon”

The “Uipm 2022 U19 & U17 World Championships”, the World Youth Championships in Modern Pentathlon, have got into full swing in Lignano Sabbiadoro (UD). The competitions will end next September 11, and while waiting for the individual titles to be awarded, this morning, at Bella Italia Efa Village, Italian Modern Pentathlon Federation President Fabrizio Bittner and Uipm (Union internationale de pentathlon moderne) President Klaus Schormann drew an initial balance of the event and talked about the future. Also present at the press conference were Lignano Sabbiadoro City Councilor for Tourism Massimo Brini, Lignano Sabbiadoro City Councilor for Sport Giovanni Iermano, and Vanessa Orlando, Campagna Amica Coldiretti Fvg regional manager.

The words of the President of the Italian Modern Pentathlon Federation Fabrizio Bittner. “The Federation wants to return to being the protagonist on the international scene through the organization of events. We wanted to start with a youth event to test our organizational level, and Lignano Sabbiadoro seemed to us the ideal location, for the structure, for the spaces and for a whole series of reasons. The event started a few days ago, with 33 nations and 250 athletes, the organization is working and we are keen to host other international level events through collaboration with the Uipm. We want to be protagonists on the international scene, as on the national one, and give a new impulse to the promotion of youth activity. This event represents the first aspect to combine these elements.”  

The words of Lignano Sabbiadoro City Council Sports Councillor Giovanni Iermano. “Ours is a seaside resort that lends itself well to vacations, but our goal is to make Lignano a city of sports vacations. For this reason, the municipality has been providing resources for several years to enrich the area with facilities suitable for hosting events such as this Youth World Cup. Through sports, young people can grow in a healthy environment with important values.” 

The words of the Councillor for Tourism of the City of Lignano Sabbiadoro Massimo Brini. “We are very pleased that the International Modern Pentathlon has chosen Lignano Sabbiadoro for this event. Hosting these World Championships is a source of pride for us and represents the realization of a great project. We are very happy that among the sponsors there is Coldiretti, because we always believe that quality, including food quality, should be pushed more and more.” 

The words of Vanessa Orlando, Campagna Amica Coldiretti Fvg regional manager. “I thank the Fipm for this partnership, because it is important for Coldiretti to relate to the whole world, including the world of sports. Through the Campagna Amica project, Coldiretti brings forward the enhancement of the territory that passes through relationships, sports, food and also tourism. We accompany businesses, but above all we relate with them precisely to convey important values, through healthy food and the protection of the territory. We are proud to be able to collaborate with organizations, such as sports, that are concerned with shared principles.”

The words of Uipm President Klaus Schormann. “I thank the Italian Federation for wanting this event. Having so many participating nations is important. The Youth World Cup is very significant for us, because the younger generation is competing, and we hope that after the pandemic period is over, we can expand participation to even more countries, year after year. It is great to see how this facility has improved over the past 20 years, creating facilities for many competitions. That’s the whole point: sports and tourism can do so much together. At a sensitive time like this, with 19 wars around the world, it is important that kids come here to show that it is possible to live together to create a better, peaceful world. We have to start from the youngest to build something together, it’s a great project. It’s not just about our sport, we all have to collaborate with the Olympic Committee to create a strong synergy. Italy has the history and the power to do this. To this beautiful land I say: invest in sports again! To conclude, I must say another important ‘thank you’ to this Federation. As you know our sport is changing. We are happy and proud to present here in Italy the third test event of this new fifth discipline. I am sure we will have the necessary feedback to decide, everything will happen in a democratic way, because all categories and all insiders will be able to observe. We are here for the future of the new generations and for the future of our sport.” 

Uipm, in fact, has chosen Lignano Sabbiadoro for a new field test of the new obstacle discipline that is a candidate to replace riding in the Modern Pentathlon after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The young athletes present in Lignano Sabbiadoro will, therefore, be able to try for the first time the new, highly spectacular fifth discipline in a guise exclusively dedicated to them. The test is scheduled at the Beach Arena in Lignano Sabbiadoro on September 9 and 10, 2022, in two time slots: from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The World Youth Championships, “Uipm Youth U19 & U17 World Championships”, which the Italian Federation of Modern Pentathlon organizes, in collaboration with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Delegation, under the aegis of the Uipm (Union internationale de pentathlon moderne), enjoys the patronage of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Coni (Italian National Olympic Committee), Sport and Health and the City of Lignano Sabbiadoro. The event is also made possible thanks to the contribution of the Department for Sport – Presidency of the Council of Ministers. Sponsors and Partners: Erreà, TreEmme, Coldiretti Friuli Venezia Giulia, Campagna Amica. Communication and Branding Partner: Oiko Service.