Choong, who won gold for Britain at Tokyo 2020, cited the position of American official Robert Stull, who is a member of the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) Executive Board and featured on the Fifth Discipline Working Group which recommended that obstacle course racing should be chosen to replace the equestrian element of the sport.

Earlier this month, two variations of the new discipline were rubber-stamped for testing after the UIPM Pentathlon World Cup Final in June.

Stull, who is also President of the North, Central and Caribbean (NORCECA) Confederation of Modern Pentathlon, was one of 21 officials announced as a member of the Working Group in December of last year.

He is managing director of USA Pentathlon Multisport, formerly known as USA Pentathlon, which now lists USA Obstacle Course Racing as one of its members.

Stull was formerly listed as a Board member of World Obstacle, with his position as a representative for the Americas now filled by Jamaica's Panna Utpaul.

Choong referenced Stull's apparent ties with obstacle course racing after claiming that he had long expected the sport to replace riding.

"I've known since maybe the end of November, December, that the new discipline was always going to be obstacle course," he said, as reported by American publication Insider.

"Around 2016, an American called Bob Stull joined the UIPM Executive Board, and until very recently, he was also listed on the World Obstacle course racing website as being on their Board."

Choong believes Stull's background represented a conflict of interest,

"So that's where the link came from in 2016," he added.

Rio 2016 silver medallist Pavel Tymoshchenko of Ukraine has previously referenced Stull's role after he was named on the Working Group.

Olympic champion Choong also pointed to comments from UIPM President Klaus Schormann, who chaired the Working Group, to German newspaper Sportschau last November in which he claimed a decision on riding's replacement had already been reached.

Schormann quickly backtracked and insisted that "no decision" had been taken, but his remarks added to Choong's doubts.

"Obviously, the UIPM went back on [Schormann's interview] saying, 'no, no, we're having a discussion'," Choong was quoted as saying by Insider.

"But it's all quite suspicious."

insidethegames has asked the UIPM for a comment in response to Choong's remarks.

Choong is a member of the Pentathlon United pressure group, formed in response to the revelations that riding would be dropped after Paris 2024 following the scandal at Tokyo 2020 which led to Germany's coach Kim Raisner being sent home in disgrace for punching a horse.

Pentathlon United has expressed a lack of confidence in the UIPM leadership, and accused the global governing body of a lack of transparency in the process to replace equestrian.

Choong was one of five representatives who signed a letter to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach demanding an investigation into the process and the UIPM's governance earlier this month.

Pentathlon United has released results from an athletes' survey which it claims showed that more than 95 per cent of respondents "are unhappy with the way that the UIPM has conducted the change" and more than 93 per cent "are unhappy with the direction the sport is going in".

The group has asked for further details from the UIPM on how two obstacle disciplines were chosen from the 61 proposals considered by the Fifth Discipline Working Group.

Modern pentathlon has been left off the initial Olympic programme for Los Angeles 2028, and IOC President Thomas Bach has warned that the proposal for riding's replacement and the overall competition format must be finalised before it can be included.