Gold medals to be awarded: 2

Dates of competition: Aug. 21-22.

Modern pentathlon, a military-oriented sport, has been rumored for years to be on the edge of Olympic eradication.

Nevertheless, it has been a staple of the Games since 1912, when eventual World War II hero George S. Patton finished fifth.

The sport consists of five disciplines -- shooting, swimming, fencing, riding and running.

Women began competing at the Olympic level eight years ago.

The two gold medalists from Athens are back to defend their titles -- Andrey Moiseev of Russia and Zsuzsanna Voros of Hungary.

A team gold medal was once awarded in the sport but the modern pentathlon was reduced to an individual-only competition following the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

Sheila Taormina of the United States will become the first female athlete to compete in three different Olympic sports. She won a gold medal as part of a swimming relay in 1996 and then took part in the triathlon at the last two Olympics. At age 39, she will try her hand at modern pentathlon.