Come 2028, Mount Midoriyama will face new competition for the hardest-to-scale “Ninja Warrior” obstacle in the form of an Olympic podium.Athletes competing in modern pentathlon at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will be the first Olympians to compete in an updated format of the event that includes an obstacle course as one of its disciplines. Now, a new deal between the sport’s governing body and Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS) means some of the most famous obstacles from the global “Ninja Warrior” franchise, maybe even something like the classic Mount Midoriyama tower climb, could make their Olympic debuts.Modern pentathlon has been an Olympic staple since 1912. It traditionally saw competitors face off in fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping and a combined event of running and shooting, now known as “laser run.” That lineup changed in 2023, when the International Olympic Committee approved a proposal to replace the equestrian show jumping section with an obstacle-course component for the 2028 Summer Games.The sport’s governing body, Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), moved to introduce the updated model at every level of competition following the 2024 Paris Olympics. Its design and rollout followed a multiyear collaboration between UIPM and TBS, which owns the rights to the “Ninja Warrior” brand, known in Japan under its original name, “SASUKE.” However, there was no broad agreement between the groups over how the sport and brand could be integrated for the Olympics.