Modern Pentathlon at the 1968 Ciudad de México Summer Games

As in 1952-64, the events consisted of an individual and team competition for men, scored by a series of scoring tables for each of the phases. The format was the same as it had been since 1932, with the order of the phases staying the same – riding, fencing, shooting, swimming, and running. The competition was held over five days, with no rest day. The UIPM had also instituted a new point scoring system after the 1964 season. The UIPM also began doping controls after the 1965 World Championships, when there had been some incidents involving the athletes using alcohol before the shooting. The Austrian Herbert Polzhuber had apparently drank 10 beers and a bottle of cognac and responded by shooting all his bullets into the ground.