In a strongly worded letter addressed to UIPM secretary general Shiny Fang, seen by insidethegames, MPADK President Benny Elmann-Larsen accused the global governing body of acting contrary to its Constitution and expressed dissatisfaction at the justifications for holding a virtual gathering.

The Congress had been due to take place in Guatemala, but difficulties in getting to the city of Antigua - namely COVID-19 restrictions and prohibitive costs - were cited among the reasons for the Executive Board's decision to move the event online.

A UIPM spokesperson defended the decision to stage the gathering virtually, arguing that it is "the only way to deliver on this fundamental priority" of staging the event as democratically as possible.

Referring to a message from Fang received earlier this week, Elmann-Larsen disputed the UIPM's reasoning.

He argued that "reality tells you the opposite" with regards to COVID-19 being treated as a major limiting factor, and claimed that it had "never heard from you before in relation to earlier Congresses" about concerns over some nations not being able to participate.

Elmann-Larsen also disagreed with the argument that it would be "unfair" for some National Federations to be able to attend while others could not in a hybrid or in-person format, arguing that "it makes very little sense" and referencing "all the flaws we experienced last year" including poor translations, sound quality, a lack of an active helpline and "zero overview over the voting process."

Moreover, he claimed that the suggestion that National Federations (NFs) could discuss issues online before and during the Congress "represent the cynicism that we have become used to from you", and insisted "that option is not realistically there in an online setting."

Elmann-Larsen said that Britain had offered to host, and that staging the Congress in London offered a means to "save this absurd situation."

The letter also claimed that "no one is actually pressing the other way, asking for a strictly online Congress", and that "had you asked, you would have received a lot more advocates of a physical Congress."

It directly accused Fang of failing to uphold the UIPM's Constitution.

"Had you wanted to act in the spirit of the Constitution, you should not even have suggested an online-only Congress, but you might have asked around to all NFs, regarding who would in fact be in favour of an in-person Congress," Elmann-Larsen said.

"That would have been the correct handling of that question, which is crucial for conservation of the fundamental democratic process.

"And that is your task as secretary general.

"You are there for us and to uphold the Constitution."

The MPADK President also argued that an online Congress represents "a tool for you to keep people apart".

However, a UIPM spokesperson said that plans remain in place to stage the gathering online, and expressed a belief that this would be welcomed by most NFs due to travel difficulties.

"UIPM notes the recent, additional correspondence from a small minority of National Federations in relation to UIPM 2022 Congress," the spokesperson told insidethegames.

"We share their view that the event should be as democratic as possible, but the UIPM Executive Board maintains its stance that an online General Assembly is the only way to deliver on this fundamental priority, as highlighted by ASOIF [Association of Summer Olympic International Federations] in its latest Review of IF [International Federation] Governance.

"The decision announced on July 18 stands, and we are confident that the vast majority of our members will welcome this decision because of the various difficulties associated with global travel in 2022."

This year's UIPM Congress is expected to feature a pivotal vote on the modern pentathlon format to be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for Los Angeles 2028, with the sport left off the initial programme.

Obstacle discipline has been proposed as a replacement for riding, and the UIPM has published what it describes as "positive feedback" from its first four test events.

The move to replace the equestrian element of the sport has proved contentious.

Some also criticised the process by which riding was replaced, complaining of a lack of transparency.

The MPADK appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the UIPM Executive Board's actions, claiming its members involved had "breached the statutes and the UIPM Code of Ethics",

However, this was dismissed by the CAS in July.

Advocates of the new fifth discipline argue it makes modern pentathlon more accessible, and should avoid a repeat of the upsetting scenes of Tokyo 2020, where German coach Kim Raisner was sent home in disgrace for punching a horse that refused to jump during the women's competition.

Guatemala is now due to host an elective UIPM Congress in 2024 instead of this year's edition.

At yesterday's IOC Executive Board meeting, the Guatemalan Olympic Committee was given a "very last chance" to resolve legal issues with its governance, and warned it had until October 15 to avoid suspension.