"The most perfect sportsmen, therefore, are the Pentathletes because in their body strength and speed are combined in beautiful harmony" - Aristotle (384-322 BC)

The first Swedish Championships was held 1921. In the year 1948 the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) was founded by the two Swedes Gustaf Dyrssen (1920 Olympic Champion) and Sven Thofelt (1928 Olympic Champion). Before 1956 the place in each discipline was added together and the winner was the one with the lowest "score". However, this system was considered unfair and a point system was introduced. The competitors get points in each discipline and the winner in the one with the highest accumulated score. Nowadays the riding is show jumping but before 1972 it was cross-country jumping in the riding event. In the year 1981 the first World Championships for women were organised. The first time women were allowed to compete in the Olympics were in Sydney year 2000.

Recently, a number of changes have been made to the sport. The competitions have been shortened from four to only one day. At larger competitions there is first semi finals (without riding!) to get 32 persons who then competes in one final. Each match in fencing is no more than one minute long. Earlier it could be over 70 competitors who all should fence each other and the fencing event could take 18 hours! In the shooting it is air pistol nowadays and team relay competitions has been introduced.

Sweden is one of the more successful nations in modern pentathlon with for example nine Olympic gold medals (see the table below). Today the best athletes come from France and the Eastern Europe countries. Since year 2002 the sport modern pentathlon in Sweden belongs to the Swedish Multisports federation.