Modern Pentathlon Club (CUMPC)
Cambridge University Modern Pentathlon Club has been training pentathletes and defending the University’s colours since 1958, providing generations of students with lifelong memories of Cambridge sport.
Modern Pentathlon comprises swimming, fencing, obstacle course racing (OCR) and laser run, which includes running and laser pistol shooting. Our members train in all 5 of these sports every week across both university and external facilities, such as the athletics track, sports centre, The Leys School pool and OCR training venues. The Club caters for athletes of all abilities, with many members starting the year as complete beginners in some of the sports and training hard to compete on the Varsity team in April.
Our annual Varsity Match against Oxford takes place in April each year at the University of Bath Sports Training Village. We have won the overall trophy for the last 2 years, alongside individual wins, and hope to continue these impressive results in years to come. Our members also compete successfully at BUCS (British University and College Sports), and GB national ranking competitions. Most recently, at BUCS 2026, Cambridge won both the men's and women's team competition and the women's B team claimed the bronze medal position. There was also individual success with a bronze medal in the women's competition and a silver and bronze in the men's.
Training for 5 sports is expensive, and to keep this sport accessible to all, the Club relies on donations from its Old Blues community. While students' subscriptions and grants from the University cover the hire of facilities and contribute towards coaching costs, they are not enough to provide the level of training our athletes need to truly excel. We are currently working on getting an OCR rig in Cambridge, which will greatly reduce the travel costs to OCR training in Basildon and provide us with access to top quality facilities. However, this is a very large financial investment for the Club.
This is where you make the difference.
Your donations allow us to:
- Invest in safer, higher-quality equipment, which includes replacing fencing masks to ensure they meet current safety standards.
- Subsidise travel to allow more athletes to attend Pentathlon GB National Ranking Competitions.
- Provide expert coaching, especially in the run up to Varsity.
Your regular support ensures that more and more students can take part in the Club’s future successes.
Support the Cambridge University Modern Pentathlon Club (CUMPC)
Donate online or for more information on ways to support CUMPC, please contact Derek Wilson:
Make a gift now
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Derek Wilson
All gifts made through the philanthropy.cam.ac.uk website are treated as being made to the University of Cambridge with an expression of wishes that the funds be allocated to the registered University club or society which you have indicated as the desired recipient of your generous gift. Whilst the University retains the discretion to allocate the funds for a broader purpose, it fully intends to apply the funds in accordance with your wishes wherever possible. An expression of wishes shall not give rise to a trust or other legally-binding obligation. The University maintains a catalogue of Registered Clubs and Societies (including Sports Clubs). The University of Cambridge is an exempt charity subject to regulation by the Office for Students (OfS) under the Charities Act 2011, and therefore does not have a Charity registration number.
