International meetings on the eve of the Olympics gave positive results. Just as in 1936, sixteen countries have transferred 45 athletes to London. For the first time the pentathlon competition was attended by representatives of Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Spain. Teams of Germany and Japan were not invited to the Olympic Games. Soviet athletes did not participate in the Games due to a late invitation from the IOC, and, therefore, sports organizations did not have time to do the necessary work to direct the teams to the Games.
By the XIV Olympic Games national team came pentathletes having opgg six Olympic Games, numerous presentations at international, regional competitions. By this time revealed features of training pentathletes different countries. In Sweden, the USA, Finland, formed the school pentathlon, but the overall length of all remained elitist nature of this type of sport that develops in the army units, "it is attached in the name of the officer's pentathlon.
Clearly, this approach limits the possibility of pentathlon. Founded during the XIV Olympic Games the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) and adopted the Charter of them lifted restrictions on the right to participate in the pentathlon only officers. The first constituent congress of the Union has decided to conduct an annual world championships the year except for the Olympic Games, which also determine the winner in the individual competition, and to sum up in the team competition. This decision opened a new pranitsa ever pentathlon.
At the Games in London, the main contenders were the team in Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, USA and Hungary. In the individual championship at the preliminary forecast of a sharp struggle between the Swede William Groot and Hungarian Laszlo Karachonem, which clearly demonstrated their potential in previous international meetings. However, after an unsuccessful Karachon equestrian cross-country competition ceased, and the fight for the gold medal was between representatives of the three countries, which resulted in 1st place went to Swede William Groot, who won the equestrian cross-country, fencing and swimming, 2nd - American George Moore, 3 -s - Swedish Gösta Gardin, 4th and 5th - Finns and Lauri Olavi Vilkko Lvrkes, 6th - Swiss B Notes, which showed in shooting 194 out of 200 possible points. General sports and technical results in these games were slightly lower than the previous ones. In swimming, only 15 out of 45 athletes overcame 300m freestyle faster than five minutes. In shooting eight pentathletes not even scored 170 points, 8 - 180 points.