Modern Pentathlon Australia Limited
Chair’s Report 2025

2025 was a pivotal year for Modern Pentathlon Australia — one defined by renewal, reinvention,and purposeful progress.

In the wake of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which marked the final Olympic appearance of the equestrian discipline, our sport has entered a new era. While we honour the rich legacy that has shaped modern pentathlon for more than a century, in 2025 we embraced this transition with clarity and intent.

The introduction of obstacle disciplines, alongside the continued evolution of our multisport format, presents a compelling opportunity to redefine our identity and position our sport for long-term growth. Encouragingly, this transformation is already taking shape across Australia. Athletes from complementary disciplines — including athletics, triathlon, and obstacle racing — are increasingly engaging with modern pentathlon. These athletes bring discipline, resilience and adaptability - qualities for which modern pentathletes have always been known – as well as speed and strength. This emerging generation is not only broadening our athlete base but helping to reshape our competitive landscapeband strengthen our pathways.

High Performance and International Success

Australia’s presence on the international stage in 2025 was highly encouraging, particularly across emerging and development pathways.

We proudly recognise our World Champions, Milanke Haasbroek (Laser Run - U13 Female) and Charli Sewell (100m OCR and 3km OCR - Youth Women). Their professionalism and commitment exemplify the qualities that underpin our high-performance system.

These world titles were complemented by a series of podium performances by Australian athletes at the UIPM World Biathle, Triathle and Laser Run Championships in South Africa in December 2025 and the UIPM Obstacle World Championships in China in October 2025. While these events sit within the development and pathway formats of our sport, the results are nevertheless significant. They reflect thedepth of emerging talent within Australia and provide strong evidence of the “green shoots” that are beginning to take hold as we transition into the sport’s new era.

Importantly, these competitions — both domestically and internationally — are playing a broader role than performance outcomes alone. They are bringing together experienced pentathletes and those new to the sport, creating an environment where knowledge is shared, connections are formed, and mutual support is fostered. This blending of cohorts is helping to shape a more inclusive and cohesive athlete community, grounded in camaraderie, respect, and a strong sense of belonging.

Our growing international engagement has also delivered meaningful development opportunities. Through our partnership with the Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation, Genevieve Janse van Rensburg and Nicholas Odgers undertook a valuable training block with the Egyptian national team in Alexandria ahead of the UIPM World Relay Championships.

Both athletes further represented Australia at major international events during the year, with Nicholas competing at the UIPM Junior World Championships and Genevieve at the UIPM World Cup in Budapest and the UIPM World Cup Final. We are particularly pleased that, following her retirement from elite competition, Genevieve has chosen to remain in the sport and is now developing her coaching capability — an important contribution to the sustainability and continuity of our athlete pathways. 

Together, these developments reflect not only competitive progress, but the emergence of a more connected, supportive, and future-focused high-performance environment.

Strategic Progress and Partnerships

2025 saw continued delivery against our Strategic Plan, with a clear focus on strengthening capability, partnerships, and athlete pathways.

The appointment of Jawid Khawar has been a key enabler in this progress. Jawid’s expertise and international connections have enhanced our high-performance environment and created new opportunities for collaboration. This is exemplified by the execution of a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation, which is already providing tangible benefits through shared training and knowledge exchange. Through Jawid, we have been able to engage world-class coaches to develop individualised training programs for athletes in our high performance program, directly addressing one of the key challenges faced by this cohort.

We also formalised a partnership with The Glennie School in Toowoomba, helping to establish it as an Olympic pathway school. This agreement represents an important step in embedding modern pentathlon within educational environments and building sustainable, structured pathways for emerging athletes.

From an infrastructure perspective, the acquisition of an international Category A standard aluminium OCR rig marked a significant milestone as we transition into the next phase of the sport. This outcome was made possible through the combined support of the Australian Sports Commission, the UIPM, and the Oceania Modern Pentathlon Federation. Our objective is to find a permanent home for the rig, enabling athletes to train on world-class equipment and supporting our event delivery capability.

Domestic Competitions and Development

The domestic program in 2025 underpinned both performance outcomes and participation growth.

The Australian Laser Run Championships, held at Mt Evelyn, Victoria, were delivered to a high standard through the leadership of Modern Pentathlon Victoria and the Yarra Ranges hub, with valued support from Bendigo Bank. The event showcased both elite and emerging talent and demonstrated MPV’s capability in hosting professional, engaging competitions.

The Australian Tetrathlon Championships in Toowoomba, delivered in partnership with The Glennie School, further reinforced the value of strategic collaboration in providing domestic competition opportunities.

An important initiative was the national development camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). By bringing together established pentathletes and those new to the sport, the camp played an important role in building cohesion across our athlete community. It was particularly impactful in bringing together traditional and emerging athlete cohorts, fostering a more unified and inclusive environment where shared experiences, support, and a strong sense of community are becoming defining features of our culture.

Participation Growth and Community Impact

At the grassroots level, we saw encouraging signs of growth. New South Wales re-emerged as a region of particular momentum, driven by a spirit of inclusiveness and a willingness to ‘have a go’. Amos Vagg has made a significant contribution in this regard, successfully attracting new participants — many from outside traditional pentathlon pathways — and strengthening local capability. The same spirit infused the ‘come & try’ days and development camp run by Ed Egan in the Tweed Valley.

Amos’s efforts were rightly recognised through his selection as a recipient of the John Pennell Volunteer of the Year Award, highlighting the critical role that volunteers play in the continued development of our sport.

Governance and Organisational Development

At Board level, we have taken deliberate steps to strengthen governance and organisational effectiveness.

Our participation in the Sports Governance Survey provided valuable benchmarking and insight into areas of best practice. This has informed a more structured and proactive approach to governance, a vital step to ensure we are well-positioned to meet stakeholder expectations and support the sport’s continued growth.

The establishment of a dedicated Finance, Audit and Risk Committee represented an important step forward to improve the rigour of our financial oversight, internal controls, and risk management processes, ensuring greater transparency and accountability across the organisation. The NominationsCommittee, also established in 2025, will play a critical role in supporting Board renewal and sustainability, with a focus on ensuring an appropriate balance of skills, experience, diversity, and independence at Board level. Together, these committees contribute to a more structured, resilient, and future-focused governance model, better equipped to support the long-term growth of Modern Pentathlon Australia.

Looking Ahead

As we look forward, our focus remains clear: to build on the momentum of 2025 and position modern pentathlon as a contemporary, accessible, and high-performing sport in Australia.

The changes underway globally present a rare opportunity to not only adapt but to lead. By embracing innovation, working collaboratively, strengthening partnerships, and investing in our people and systems, we are confident in the path ahead.

I extend my sincere thanks to Kim Richardson (Pathways & Performance Director), Jawid Khawar (National Technical & Development Manager), Kayt Spano (Executive Officer) and Donna Olborne (National Integrity Manager) for their commitment and professionalism throughout the year.

I also extend my gratitude to my fellow directors, Nicole Nicholls, Lyle Dahms and Ashlee Uren; to Brian Vagg (asset management); and to those serving on the committees of our State Associations. Your dedication and willingness to do the work that is vital but largely unseen is foundational to our progress.

Finally, sincere thanks to our athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and partners. You are the lifeblood and future of the sport, and your engagement and enthusiasm are intrinsic to its success.

2025 was a year of transition — but more importantly, it was also a year of renewal, alignment, and momentum. We are not simply navigating change; we are shaping a strong and sustainable future for modern pentathlon in Australia.

Sign off

As this will be my final year serving as the President and as a director of Modern Pentathlon Australia, I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the privilege of contributing to the organisation during a period of significant change and renewal. I am confident that with the foundations now in place across governance and high performance, and with an enlarged board of experienced directors, the sport is positioned strongly for the future. I thank my fellow Board members, the MPA team, and the broader pentathlon community for their dedication and support, and I look forward to seeing the continued growth and success of the sport in the years ahead.

Maki Takken
President                                         Modern Pentathlon Australia

A message from the Chair of the Australian Sports Commission – Kate Jenkins AO

Strengthening sport at every level remains a key focus for the Australian Sports Commission.

From grassroots participation and community sport through to high performance, we work closely with the sector to create great environments and bring out the best in everyone involved in sport.

We set out to ensure sport is safe, fair, inclusive and accessible to all, with every athlete supported to realise their full potential.

This includes investing in athletes, coaches, officials and organisations through our many grant programs, and helping young Australians experience sport for the first time through initiatives like our Sporting Schools program.

Our national sporting system has never been stronger as the sector works collaboratively across all of sport to deliver the Play Well and Win Well Strategies.

Play Well and Win Well create a connected vision for Australian sport, where more people are involved in community sport and athlete wellbeing underpins sustainable success.

Our performances at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games reflect the dedication of athletes, coaches, support staff and the broader sector, and our shared commitment to Win Well.

As we look ahead to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Los Angeles 2028, those values will continue to guide Australian sport on the world stage.

The once-in-a-generation redevelopment of the AIS campus in Canberra continues to gain momentum, with work on new multi-storey, para-accessible accommodation, a Testing and Training Centre and an indoor Sport Dome set to begin later this year.

This record investment in high performance sport through modern facilities, world-class coaching, athlete rehabilitation, sports science and engineering will help our athletes thrive.

New Para Sport Units established across the country as part of the national Para Uplift are also improving classification opportunities, access to fit-for-purpose training environments, and specialised coaching and performance support to strengthen Australia’s Para high performance system.

As we enter the final sprint to Brisbane 2032, we are well placed not only to sustain success on the world stage, but to inspire Australians for generations to come.