More than 250 all-around athletes from 27 nations and regions will compete in the men's and women's competitions of the second modern pentathlon seniors World Cup for 2007, which started in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday.

The competitions will last four days, and Thursday will witness women athletes competing for places in Saturday's finals.

It was the second time for Egypt within six months to host a modern pentathlon seniors World Cup.

Last September, Egypt became the first African nation to host the sports, in which athletes need to finish five events within one day, including pistol shooting, epee fencing, swimming, riding (equestrian show jumping) and cross-country running.

A points system for each event is based on a standard performance earning 1,000 points. The winner is the pentathlete who has accumulated the most points after the first events and crosses the finish line first.

Seven Chinese athletes, men and women, are participating in this Cairo leg of modern pentathlon seniors World Cup. Last September in Cairo, Chinese men athletes made a breakthrough by winning both the World Cup personal title and team title.

Earlier on Wednesday, modern pentathlon's governing body Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne President Klaus Schormann said a pentathlon academy would be established in Egypt.

This will be the first academy of its kind in Africa, said Schormann, quoted by Egyptian state media.

Source: Xinhua