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RANCHO MIRAGE — The World Cup of modern pentathlon will be held in the United States for the first time since 1999 and the event will take place here in the Coachella Valley.

From February 23-28, approximately 40 countries are expected to compete for points.

The cities of Rancho Mirage and Palm Springs were awarded the event last week in Moscow and the official announcement was made Wednesday at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa. The event will remain in the desert every year through 2014.

Rancho Mirage mayor Richard Kite said that the Coachella Valley is known for its world-class golf and tennis facilities with the long-time Bob Hope Classic and Kraft Nabisco Championship along with the BNP Paribas Open. Now it can be known as a top destination for training world-class pentathletes.

“We have the ability to showcase some of the other sports venues in the city,” said Kite at Wednesday's press conference with Agua Caliente tribal officials, other area city representatives and pentathlon organizers. “This will be important to our city and the whole valley. We look forward to the world coming to the valley.”

It is a one-day competition to accumulate points in five events — epee fencing, pistol shooting, 200-meter freestyle swimming, show jumping on horseback and a 3-kilometer cross country run.

The fact that the event is coming to the valley was embraced by many of these same athletes who trained here prior to the Beijing Olympics at the Equestrian Centers International in Rancho Mirage. Other countries sent athletes here last summer to train under Michael Cintas of Rancho Mirage, one of the coaches for Team USA at the 2008 Games.

“What we bring is not one, not two, but four years of competition to the Coachella Valley,” said Cintas. “We have everything at our fingertips. We were awarded this because of the people around us. This is a World Cup for the Coachella Valley.”

Cintas trains the equestrian discipline in the pentathlon's five events which also includes fencing, shooting, freestyle swimming and a cross country run. ECI will host the horse jumping, running and shooting, while Palm Springs will hold the swimming at the city's Swim Center. Xavier College Prep High School in Palm Desert will house the fencing.

The opening and closing ceremonies are set at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa.

According to pentathlon officials Rob Stull and Mike Duffy, the athletes arrive a day prior to the competition accompanied by coaches and other members of the delegation. The event begins with an official opening ceremony, parade of flags and has become a spectacular event for fans to watch.

Olympic medalist John Carlos of Palm Springs, who won bronze at the 1968 Mexico City Games, said that this is a sport that can be embraced by all ages.

“It's an enormous opportunity for young kids especially to see sports they don't have in their own neighborhoods,” said Carlos, a Palm Springs High School counselor. “This will be here for four years and it's a marvelous way to turn a lot of kids onto sports that they haven't in the past.”

Fans will witness the start of a trek toward a potential Olympic berth. Top teams in the event include Germany and Russia, the team that boasts the defending Olympic champ.

“We're building and putting the foundation for (London ) here,” said Stull. “Our country has the smallest amount of pentathletes but because we're here, we'll be recruiting future athletes.”