A Ninja Warrior-like obstacle course could soon come to the Olympics. I went on a test run, and it was as physically demanding as it looks.

Modern pentathlon is a multi-discipline sport that has been at every Olympic games since 1912.

Since the sport's inception, its five disciplines have been variations of fencing, freestyle swimming, pistol shooting, cross-country running, and equestrian show jumping.

That changed last year, however, when the sport's governing body, Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), said it was going to remove show jumping.

The decision came shortly after an incident at the Tokyo Olympics which saw a coach strike a horse that was not jumping, which was followed by reports of historical animal welfare neglect within the sport.

Following the decision to remove show jumping – which won't go into effect until after the 2024 Paris Games – modern pentathlon was cut from the preliminary list of sports to be included at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

In May, UIPM announced obstacle course racing would be tested as the sport's new fifth discipline, in place of show jumping, with hopes that it can help keep modern pentathlon's Olympic place.

The first obstacle on the course was a handle-bar swing (or "wing nuts"), which required participants to swing from rope-to-rope using "V-shaped" handles.

Next up was a series of under-overs, followed by a spinning wheels rig, a balance beam, and monkey bars.

A cargo net climb and rope swing followed before the course finished with a 13-foot "tsunami wall."

The bespoke course was built in collaboration with World Obstacle (FISO) and the rights holder of the TV show, Ninja Warrior.

As much as watching the professionals do their thing was fun – I didn't travel all the way to Italy to stand and watch.

Donning my workout gear, I first joined in the morning practice session, where the expert obstacle racers took us through each obstacle and explained how to tackle it.

I was then asked if I'd like to run the course in its entirety and be timed. Feeling confident, not only did I say yes, I challenged a European Champion obstacle racer to a race.

Safe to say he beat me comprehensively, even if I did start 40 seconds before him.

The under-overs, a balance beam, and net climb were all relatively easy. Almost everybody that tried the course managed them without any problem.

The monkey bars were not too difficult either, even if gripping them was a little tough on the hands.

The spinning wheels rig wasn't easy – gripping moving obstacles while propelling yourself forward at the same time was a real challenge.

The tsunami wall was also a challenge. When I tried it on its own, I managed it easily. However, hoisting myself up a giant wall using a rope was much more difficult after completing all the other obstacles first.

While I still managed it, there were a number of young athletes who, understandably, didn't have the upper body strength.

That damn handlebar swing — I just simply couldn't do it.

As was the case with the spinning wheels rig, gripping moving obstacles while propelling yourself forward was tough.

But the handle bars moved a lot more than the wheels, and if you lost your momentum even slightly it was game over. It was definitely the most strenuous exercise on both my hands and upper body too.

Technique, not strength, was the key here. Sadly, I had none.

"I think it's really good," a young athlete from Hungary told Insider.

"I'd never done anything like it before," said an athlete from England. "I think it's a good thing for the future of the sport."

One youngster from Greece said: "I liked it. I felt like I was in one of those shows I'd seen on the TV."

The main complaint about the course was how difficult it was on the hands. A number of athletes had blisters that needed to be wrapped in bandages.

Asked about the hand injuries, a UIPM official said it had encouraged the athletes to "wear gloves" to prevent them, but admitted the discipline is still "a work in progress."

Naturally, there were many parents and family members watching the friendly competition in the evening. But there was also plenty of locals who had turned up to see what was happening.

As I sat in the stands watching on, it was clear to see that the crowd was enjoying it, cheering on every athlete who ran and applauding both the winners and losers in true Olympic spirit.

I too was invested in the competition and found myself letting out a little cheer when a young lad from England set the best time.

"I don't have any intention of continuing the sport if the proposed changes go through," Joseph Choong, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, told Insider. "The entire process has shocked me the way that athletes matter so little in decision making processes in the sport.

"It's clear that a huge majority of active athletes don't want these changes, and yet it's been forced through anyway."

For LA 2028, the International Olympic Committee approved the inclusion of 28 sports, with skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing all involved in a program it said "focuses on youth."

With that in mind, Alexandre França, Operations Director at UIPM, told Insider that UIPM believes making obstacle course racing modern pentathlon's newest discipline is the right decision if the sport is to keep its Olympic place.

"It's a huge challenge, for everyone who is involved," he said. "But we need to look to the future.

"We have a goal to be in the Olympic Games. Unfortunately, we needed to replace riding, and among the options we had, I'm sure this was the best."

Joël Bouzou, UIPM Vice President, told Insider that it's obstacle course racing's accessibility that made it the right replacement.

"If we want to remain an Olympic sport, we have to embrace all the continents or countries," he said.

"Obstacle course racing is accessible, it's not expensive, we can organize it everywhere. We are confident that it will work."