Only 48 hours: Logistics World Cup for Modern Pentathlon Equipment
OutdoorHub 04.20.12
The German specialist for sports and cultural logistics, Conceptum Sport Logistics (http://www.conceptum-sport-logistics.com) had 48 hours to manage the transport of the equipment of the Modern Pentathlon World Cup (http://www.pentathlon.org) from Charlotte, USA, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Besides of being responsible for the transport, the experienced logistics company also played an important role for the world association UIPM during the planning stage: “Keeping to these extremely tight frames is only possible through focused planning. Usually, customs formalities in both countries would have consumed the little time we had,” says Sebastian Stahl, CIO of Conceptum.
Modern Pentathlon comprises five disciplines: swimming, running, shooting, fencing and riding and became Olympic in 1912. The different disciplines show the enormous logistic effort. Charlotte and Rio de Janeiro are followed by competitions in Budapest from April 12 to 15 and in Rostov, Russia, from April 19 to 22. As of May 26, the World Cup finals take place in Chengdu, China. The UIPM (Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne) considers logistics an essential part, not least as new, ultra-modern laser guns will be used in the shooting discipline for the first time.
The transport of this laser equipment is a delicate task – it must be at the venue on time since there is no backup. For Conceptum, this is daily business: “We specialize in tailor-made transport solutions. For the World Cup, we were involved in the competition planning, which is an advantage regarding venues in countries with difficult conditions,” Stahl explains. The 2012 Olympic Games in London are another challenge: July 27 is the start of the Pentathletes’ competitions.
