'American Ninja Warrior' style challenge to debut in next Summer Games

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) - A popular NBC television competition will see a similar "obstacle course" style in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

"American Ninja Warrior" has been challenged athletes of all ages, sizes, and strengths since it's inception in 2009. The Modern Pentathlon at the Olympics has previously consisted of five events: fencing, show (horse) jumping, freestyle swimming, pistol and cross-country running. The 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles will be the first to ditch the horse jumping and replace it with a Ninja Warrior like obstacle course for competitors.

"I think it's great, you know, to to watch it growing up and just seeing it as a TV show, to finally having it be recognized on a much bigger level is awesome to see. And I'm really excited to see like the next generation come up and, you know, see it in the Olympics," explained Ryan Sanders, a 2022 contestant on "America Ninja Warrior."

Sanders trains at Motion Lab with other former contestants of the show who love to teach their skills to younger generations.

"It's pretty intense. It's a lot of training multiple days a week, multiple hours, cardio upper body. You need it all, so it's pretty intense," said Sanders.

Sanders said he watched the competitions on TV and took up the sport after high school.

"I decided I want to give it a shot. So I looked up Ninja Warrior competitions near me," he said. "I drove three and a half hours to the closest, one competed in it. I was hooked."

The sport is getting new exposure with an event at the 2028 Summer Games, but Sanders said they have already seen a huge jump in participation over the last several years.

"The last couple of years has really blown up in the youth level," he said. "We host World Ninja League competitions, which is separate from the show, where they have ages starting from six, going all the way up to the Masters Division, which is 40 and over. So, we've seen a lot of growth, especially in the youth divisions."

The exact format of the 2028 Pentathlon has yet to be revealed, but until then, Sanders and other enthusiasts can only imagine what Ninja Warrior-adjacent challenges will unfold.