Athletes from 33 countries have received invitations to the first virtual global laser run competition.

The invitations follow recognised qualification competitions held by 12 member associations across five continents.

Qualification was also achieved through participation in the inaugural #LaserHomeRun event, held by the UIPM in May.

The event saw entrants complete a series of exercises, before hitting five targets with a laser pistol, as part of the UIPM’s efforts to unite the global modern pentathlon community during the COVID-19 crisis.

The 256 qualifiers are set to compete in preliminary rounds of the Laser All Stars event on August 7 and 8.

The preliminary rounds are set to take place exactly one year before the culmination of the modern pentathlon competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, rescheduled to 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The top 32 athletes will advance to the semi-finals and final.

The semi-final and final has been scheduled for September 9, with the event coinciding with the third Pierre de Coubertin Pentathlon Day.

Britain has the highest number of qualifiers for the virtual event with 41, followed by Hungary and Egypt with 27 and 22, respectively.

Turkey boast 20 qualifiers, with Russia and France each having 16.

The list of qualifiers across the three adult age categories includes Moscow 1980 Olympic champion Anatoly Starostin of Russia.

Starostin is set to compete in the men’s over 40 masters category.

World number five Valentin Prades will be among the favourites for the men’s senior event, along with Lima 2019 Pan American Games gold medallist Charles Fernandez of Guatemala.

Women’s world number one Joanna Muir is due to compete in the women’s senior event, with the British athlete expected to face competition from fellow World Cup winners Tamara Alekszejev of Hungary and France’s Marie Oteiza.