1:08pm Tuesday 2nd June 2009
Tickets have gone on sale for the 2009 Modern Pentathlon World Championships taking place at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre over five days in August.
The competition, the highpoint of the 2009 modern pentathlon calendar, is the first World Championships held in an Olympic sport in London since 1986 and the first to feature the sport's new combined run/shoot format.
Peter Hart, Chief Executive of Pentathlon GB, said: "The World Championships are the biggest event on the modern pentathlon calendar in 2009 and it's particularly exciting to host them in London just three years before the London 2012 Olympics Games.
"Britain has a terrific track record in modern pentathlon and hopefully competing on home soil will give our athletes an extra boost. It will be great to see some British athletes on the podium at Crystal Palace."
Athletes have to master five very different disciplines, fencing, swimming and equestrian challenges, followed by the new run and shoot climax.
Each nation can enter up to four athletes of each gender for the championships and competition for places in the women's GB team will be particularly intense.
Katy Livingston, who came seventh for Great Britain at the Beijing 2008 Olympics and won individual bronze at last year's World Championships, said: "It's great to have the World Championships in London.
"It will be good to have our family and friends there and to have home support getting behind us."
Sam Weale, who finished 10th in Beijing, said: "I've never competed at a World Championships in my home country and I'm really looking forward to it, particularly as a warm-up for London 2012. You don't get that opportunity too often."
The World Championships run from Thursday August 13 through to Monday 17 and tickets can be bought in advance online through Ticketmaster at a discounted rate before June 15 and will also be available on the gate.
For further information visit pentathlongb.org/mpwc.
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