RIO MAIOR IS THE HOME OF MODERN PENTATHLON

Over the weekend of 20 and 21 December 2025, the Rio Maior Sports Centre hosted the National Under-17, Masters and Clubs Championships – Marquês do Funchal Trophy, organised by the Portuguese Modern Pentathlon Federation (FPPM), bringing together the best of national modern pentathlon in Rio Maior.

The competition began on Saturday morning with the fencing events, held at the Multi-purpose Pavilion. On Sunday, throughout the day and across different sports facilities within the complex, the remaining disciplines of the sport took place—obstacles, track, laser run and swimming—providing a weekend of high competitive intensity.

On Sunday morning, the official inauguration of the Modern Pentathlon Obstacle Course took place. Located in the semi-covered sports area of the Sports Park, this infrastructure significantly strengthens the range and quality of training conditions for this Olympic sport in Rio Maior.

The ceremony was attended by several representatives of institutional and sports bodies, including the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor of Rio Maior, Luís Filipe Santana Dias and João Lopes Candoso; the President of the Portuguese Modern Pentathlon Federation, João Paulo Almeida; the Chair of the Board of the Sports Foundation, Susana Feitor, accompanied by Vice-Chair Anabela Reis; the Director of the Rio Maior School of Sport Sciences, Nuno Pimenta; as well as the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Board of the Rio Maior Swimming Club, Luís Sousa and Pedro Rodrigues. The representatives were welcomed by Miguel Pacheco, Chairman of the Board of Desmor. Also present was local businessman Manuel Pinheiro, from the Parapedra Group, a patron supporting this FPPM sports project in Rio Maior.

As part of this institutional session, three strategic cooperation agreements were signed. The first, concluded between the FPPM, the Municipality of Rio Maior and Desmor, provides for the creation of a Modern Pentathlon Training and Performance Centre in Rio Maior. With this formalisation, the Rio Maior Sports Centre now offers excellent conditions for national and international training and practice of this Olympic sport, which comprises five disciplines: fencing, swimming, running, obstacles and laser shooting.

This step consolidates Rio Maior as a national hub for the development of Modern Pentathlon, representing a strategic ambition and a decisive contribution to the sustained growth of the sport in Portugal. It marks the beginning of a structuring partnership between Desmor and the Federation, with a significant impact on the future of the sport's development.

Two additional agreements were also signed between the FPPM and the Sports Foundation, one of which involved the Parapedra Group, further strengthening the cooperation model between public bodies, the federation and private patrons.

This weekend of competition was also marked by the celebration of the 76th anniversary of the Portuguese Modern Pentathlon Federation, in a convivial atmosphere that brought together athletes, coaches, referees, judges, officials, family members and friends of the sport. Sunday afternoon concluded with the awards ceremony for the athletes and clubs that stood out the most in the Marquês do Funchal Trophy, bringing to a close an event of great significance for national sport.