National team

It is an honour and a privilege to wear the green and gold for Australia. 

As the national sporting organisation recognised by the UIPM and the ASC and the AOC, Modern Pentathlon Australia is responsible for nominating or selecting athletes to compete in international competitions, including UIPM events, IOC events and events run by other national pentathlon federations. 

Nomination and selection decisions are made by our selection committee, which includes independent selectors, in accordance with our National Selection Policy (available on our policies page, here).   The National Selection Policy is updated at the start of each quadrennial Olympic cycle and more frequently if required.  A separate nomination policy, which must be endorsed by the AOC, is created for each Olympic Games. 

The objective of our National Selection Policy is to implement a framework of performance designed to ultimately ensure that Modern Pentathlon Australia is selecting athletes to represent Australia with the best chance of producing podium pentathlon performances at pinnacle events in the short and long term, with the primary target events being the 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games, 2026 Youth Olympic Games as well as the UIPM World Pentathlon Championships (Senior, Junior and Youth) leading up to each of these Games.

The National Performance Benchmark Standards, being one of the key criteria used to select athletes for tetrathlon and pentathlon events, have been developed in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). The benchmarks are based on international MP performance data and are intended to ensure selection decisions are evidence-based and consistent with the objective of selecting athletes with the best chance of producing podium performances. Different benchmarks apply to different age groups, reflecting the ideal progressive development of an athlete as they mature.  The benchmarks are included as an addendum in the National Selection Policy.  They are also available on our Categorisation page, here.

At all times, we want to create an ambitious, supportive performance culture and instil the mindset that selection to represent Australia is an honour and a privilege, and that selection decisions are made with the best interests of the athlete’s long-term development and of the sport’s benchmark performance in mind.

It is the responsibility of each individual athlete, their coach/es and parents/guardians to familiarise themselves with the contents of the National Selection Policy and all other selection-related documents.