By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES, May 27 (Reuters) - The obstacle-course format popularised by the television show Ninja Warrior will help shape the new-look modern pentathlon at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics under an agreement between Tokyo Broadcasting System Television and the sport's global governing body.
TBS, creator of the Japanese program Sasuke, known internationally as Ninja Warrior, and the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) said on Tuesday they had agreed to collaborate on obstacle
racing, the discipline that will replace equestrian show jumping in modern pentathlon.
The deal includes licensing rights for UIPM to use certain TBS-designed obstacles and program elements in its obstacle racing events.
In Ninja Warrior, athletes race through a timed obstacle course that tests swinging, climbing, balancing and grip, with mistakes often sending them into the water below.
Modern pentathlon, introduced at the 1912 Olympics, traditionally featured fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping, running and shooting.
Running and shooting were later combined into the laser run, and UIPM began testing obstacle racing after the Tokyo Olympics as part of efforts to modernize the sport.
The International Olympic Committee voted in 2023 to include the revised format, featuring obstacle racing instead of equestrian, at LA28.
UIPM said the new discipline has been developed through test events drawing on Sasuke and other obstacle sports, with TBS involved since 2022. It held its first Obstacle World Championships in Beijing in 2025.
UIPM President Rob Stull said in a press release that the agreement marked "a unique coming together of primetime entertainment and Olympic sports culture," adding that modern pentathlon had continued to evolve to meet changing audience preferences.
TBS said Sasuke, first broadcast in Japan in 1997, has aired in more than 160 countries and regions, with local versions in more than 25 countries. The U.S. version of Ninja Warrior is due to premiere its 18th season in June.
TBS executive Katsuaki Setoguchi called the agreement a "groundbreaking milestone" for both the program and modern pentathlon.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
