The horse-punch debacle at the Olympics was so traumatic for modern pentathlon that the sport is reportedly completely getting rid of horse riding

• Modern-pentathlon authorities have voted to remove horse riding from the sport, The Guardian said.
• The sport gained international attention at the Tokyo Olympics when a coach punched a horse.

Modern pentathlon's governing body has voted to remove horse riding from the sport and replace it with cycling, sources told The Guardian.

The decision by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) came after a German coach at the Tokyo Olympics punched a horse.

Kim Raisner struck Annika Schleu's horse in the competition, Saint Boy, after the animal refused to jump over a fence during the show-jumping round of the women's event.

Raisner could also be heard urging Schleu to "really hit" the horse. Raisner was later kicked out of the games, with the UIPM saying the event caused "distress both inside and outside the global UIPM Sports community."

The incident garnered massive attention for the relatively obscure sport, which led animal-rights groups and fans to call for changes to avoid similar issues.

The UIPM launched an investigation, creating a working group of some of the sport's greatest participants to try and solve the issues.

According to The Guardian, the decision to swap horse riding with cycling was made in hopes that the modern pentathlon could preserve its status as an Olympic sport ahead of 2024 games in Paris.

The UIPM did not comment on the Guardian's report about the removal of horse riding from the modern pentathlon when contacted by Insider but said it was "untrue" that cycling would replace the equestrian component of the sport.

In a statement sent to Insider, it said: "As part of UIPM's commitment to maintaining a strong, dynamic profile for modern pentathlon, a series of strategic meetings are being held.

"These meetings will include an upcoming call with national federations later this week. The outcome of these meetings will be detailed in a press release to be published on 4 November."

Kate Allenby, a former modern pentathlete who won bronze for Great Britain in 2000 at the Sydney Games, said removing horse riding from the sport would be a "disaster."

"This needs talking about because it's not modern pentathlon if it hasn't got riding in it," she told The Guardian.

While the UIPM denied that cycling would be included in the modern pentathlon, the animal-rights group PETA described such a move as an "Olympic-size win for horses" in a statement sent to Insider.

"It doesn't hurt a bicycle to hit it or kick it, so this is an Olympic-size win for horses and cyclists. PETA thanks UIPM for acting swiftly on our recommendation to drop the horse component from the pentathlon and replace it with cycling," PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said.