User: Alexander Petrich

OPENING CEREMONY OF THE III WORLD WORLD MILITARY GAMES IN SOCHI 24.02.2017

The Ice Cube Arena is hosting the opening ceremony of the III Winter World War Games. Hundreds of athletes from dozens of countries participate in large-scale competitions - they are called the Olympics for the military. The ceremony is attended by the Prime Minister and the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Everyone is waiting for the culmination of the celebrations - the lighting of the fire. Meanwhile, sports competitions began even before the official start of the games.

Grand opening in full swing. The stands are full of guests. The time for the start of the ceremony was chosen symbolic - it began exactly at 20.17 with a colorful theatrical show "Sochi welcomes guests." At the climax, the luminous elements fold into a star - this is a symbol of the games. Then the drummers and the military band of the Russian Ministry of Defense performed. Solemn parade of athletes from 26 countries. Yelena Isinbayeva, Dmitry Sautin, Svetlana Khorkina and other famous soldiers brought the flag of our country to the stadium. The cloth of the International Council of Military Sports was entrusted to be carried by the guards of honor of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. The head of government and the Minister of Defense addressed the participants of the competitions and spectators.

“I believe that Sochi will bring you good luck and give you a bright, spectacular holiday. Russia hosts war games for the first time. For us, this is both a great honor and, of course, a responsibility. We are happy to meet military athletes from more than 20 countries and strive to do everything so that a kind of army Olympics will be held at the highest level, ” Dmitry Medvedev said.

Minister Sergei Shoigu read out a greeting from Russian President Vladimir Putin: "Dear friends! I greet you on the occasion of the opening of the Third Winter Military World Games. I would like to note that the honor of holding this responsible, large-scale event has rightfully gone to Russia. Our country is deservedly proud of the established traditions of army sports, has extensive experience in organizing such representative international competitions. Moreover, the Games are held in Sochi, where the most modern, high-tech sports infrastructure has been created.”.

The final leg of the torch relay is taking place in the Olympic Park. A particularly valuable cargo was delivered to Sochi tonight from Moscow. This fire was lit in various parts of Russia: on Sakhalin, on the Lopatinsky lighthouse, in the Kaliningrad village of Yantarny, on the top of Elbrus. The relay passed through the cities where the headquarters of the military districts are located - St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg, Khabarovsk and Severomorsk. From all these points, capsules with flames were brought to Moscow the day before, on Defender of the Fatherland Day, to be united there and then sent to Sochi. Brought just in time for the first starts, which took place this afternoon, even before the official opening ceremony.

Our team already has two gold medals! Aleksey Chervotkin came first in the 15 km cross-country skiing race, and biathlete Maxim Tsvetkov showed the best result in the 10 km sprint with two firing lines. Silver and bronze were brought to our team by female biathletes, we have two more bronze medals in short track. The stands are filled to capacity. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited sports facilities today.

These competitions are analogous to the Olympic Games. They are also held every four years, only athletes are in uniform. Motto: "Friendship Through Sports". More than a thousand participants from 26 countries. A lot of them are members of the national teams, the world's leading athletes, so the fight for medals promises to be spectacular. And the Olympic infrastructure will help: Sochi has everything for holding competitions of this level. Ski mountaineers, cross-country skiers and biathletes trained on the ski slopes the day before.

“The tracks are organized very well, and the games in general. I think it will be a good championship. We have very strong competitors from Russia and Slovenia. We must not lose sight of them,- said biathlete Piqueras Garcia Roberto.

Especially for the World Military Games, the arena of the "Big Ice Palace" was redesigned. Now, in place of the ice, there is a professional climbing wall, which was built specifically for these competitions according to the highest international standards.

The mood of all our athletes is truly fighting.

“It’s a rather important start for me, because I play for my club CSKA. I just recently joined these troops and, of course, I want to show the most worthy result, as well as enjoy these competitions, ”- said Sofya Prosvirnova, a member of the short track team.

On May 22, 2015 in Kuwait, at the 70th General Assembly of the International Council of Military Sports (CISM), Sochi was given another Olympics, which will be held exactly three years after the iconic (but already spoiled by doping history) Games in 2014. From February 22 to February 28, 2017 in the resort city, the World Winter Military Games are an analogue of the real Olympic Games, but exclusively for the military.

SCAPP understands what these games are and what you can expect from them.

The Military World Games are the Olympic Games for active duty military personnel. By analogy with the Olympics, there are winter military games and summer ones. At the same time, participating countries often field professional athletes who are in the armed forces, but are actually exempt from active military service (serving one month a year for 10-12 years). For example, throughout the history of the Winter War Games, famous athletes such as Martin Fourcade, Ariana Fontana, Dario Cologna, Evi Sachenbacher-Stele and Natalya Korosteleva have taken part in the competition.

For the whole story?

Yes. The first (summer) games were held in 1995 in Rome and were dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. As for the Winter Games, they began to be held much later: the first competitions were held in March 2010 in the Italian city of Aosta. Then athletes from 43 countries of the world took part in the games.

• 1995 - Rome, Italy
• 1999 - Zagreb, Croatia
• 2003 - Catania, Italy
• 2007 - Hyderabad, India
• 2010 (winter) - Aosta, Italy
• 2011 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• 2013 (winter) - Annecy, France
• 2015 Mungyeong, Republic of Korea

So

No, the International Olympic Committee has nothing to do with it. Organizer - CISM - International Military Sports Council. The organization was founded in 1948 in French Nice and now unites 134 countries. It is considered one of the largest international sports organizations, second in size only to the International Olympic Committee and the International University Sports Federation. By the way, CISM is officially recognized by the IOC and the UN.

OK

No. And although the sports included in the competition program sometimes change, figure skating and hockey are not held as part of the military games. For example, the program of the Winter Military Games in Sochi-2017 includes 8 sports:

• Biathlon

• Ski race

• Skiing

• Ski orienteering

• Ski mountaineering

• Patrol Race

• Indoor sport climbing

• Short track

It's clear

Better than the Olympic team. The Russian team participated in all the summer games (except 2011, when Russia withdrew), where they took a solid first place overall (not counting 2003, when they overtook China in the total number of medals, but lost in gold medals). And in 2015, the Russian team generally set an absolute record for the summer military games, winning a total of 135 medals (of which 59 were gold). While we don't have any problems in the summer, the situation with the winter games is worse: both times (in 2010 and 2013) - 4th place.

What will happen in Sochi?

The III World Military Winter Games will be held in Sochi from 22 to 28 February 2017. It is planned that more than 4,000 athletes from 60 countries will take part in the competition, who will compete for 44 sets of medals. For comparison, 850 athletes from 40 countries came to the last winter games in Annecy.

The opening ceremony will take place on February 23 (yes, Defender of the Fatherland Day) at the Bolshoi Ice Palace. For the sports part, Olympic facilities will be involved: the Bolshoy Ice Palace (sport climbing), the Iceberg Winter Sports Palace (short track), the Gazprom STC (cross-country skiing, biathlon and ski orienteering), Rosa Khutor Group of Companies » (alpine skiing and ski mountaineering). The closing ceremony of the Games will take place on February 27 at the Bolshoi Ice Palace.

In addition, a military-sports torch relay is planned (again, by analogy with the Olympic torch), the installation of a countdown clock before the start of the competition (on the main city squares) and the participation of the CSKA helicopter aerobatic team.

The III Military World Games ended in Sochi. From February 22 to 28, military athletes competed in seven winter sports - biathlon, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, ski orienteering, ski mountaineering, indoor sport climbing and short track. Competitions were held both in the city itself and in the mountain cluster - the ski and biathlon centers Rosa Khutor and Laura.

The first Military World Games, organized by the International Military Sports Council, were held in September 1995 in Rome and included competitions only in summer sports. Then 93 countries participated in them, the Russian team won. Summer competitions between military athletes are held every four years. Croatia, Brazil, India and South Korea have hosted them at various times. In 2019, China will host the Summer Military Games.

The Winter War Games were first held in March 2010 in the Italian city of Valle d'Aosta and are now also held every four years. In 2013, the competitions were held in French Annecy, and this year - in Sochi. At a press conference dedicated to the completion of the Games, Guilherme Keys, project manager of the International Council of Military Sports, noted that Sochi "fulfilled the high requirements for it one hundred percent."

In the medal standings of the 2017 Military Games, the Russian team became the undisputed leader. The national team has 42 awards: 22 gold, 9 silver and 11 bronze. The second place went to Italy, the third was taken by the French team.

Biathlon and ski orienteering became the most fruitful sports for medals for Russians. The famous skier Major Eduard Khrennikov became the six-time champion of the Military World Games, having won two gold medals at the games held in Sochi. Both Russian teams - both women's and men's - have become the undisputed favorites of the patrol race. The climber Sergey Luzhetsky and the biathlete brought gold medals to the national team.

Photo: press service of the III World Winter Military Games

The venues built for the 2014 Winter Olympics were used for the competition. Ski mountaineering and slalom relay races were held at the Rosa Khutor ski and biathlon complex. At Laura, athletes fought for victory in cross-country skiing, ski orienteering and biathlon competitions. Facilities located in Sochi itself were also involved: the rock climbing relay was held at the Bolshoy Sports Palace, and the short track competition was hosted by the Iceberg Ice Palace.

Each facility was equipped with a press center equipped with everything necessary for the work of journalists. Special buses, marked with the symbols of the Military World Games, ran between the city and mountain clusters.

The weather in sunny Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana, though not much, but differed, which caused certain problems. So, the Russian slalomist, that her eighth place in the women's competition is due, among other things, to the fact that it was too warm, which caused pits to appear on the track. At the same time, Ekaterina admitted that the reason for her unexpected failure for the fans was a technical error made during the relay.

Photo: press service of the III World Winter Military Games

The closing ceremony of the III Military World Games on the evening of February 27 at the Ice Cube Arena. Spectators witnessed the solemn official ceremony of awarding athletes, summing up the results of the competition, and then watched a colorful show. Representatives of the International Military Sports Council thanked the organizers for the scope of the event and the excellent conditions created for the participants of the Military Games in Sochi. The president of the council noted the work of the press, saying that journalists reflect the real situation in the country and form its positive image. Abdulhakim Al-Shino separately thanked the President of Russia for his help and support in organizing the Games, which were held under the traditional motto for military sports, Friendship through Sports.

“For money, you can buy and build objects, but you can’t buy the hearts of people, and in this city I met many kind, wonderful people,” Colonel Al-Shino said. The next Winter Military World Games will take place in Germany in 2021. Representatives of the International Council of Military Sports were unanimous in their opinion that the future capital of the Military Games will have to make significant efforts to organize an event at the same high level as in Sochi.

On February 22-28, 2017, for the first time in the history of the existence of the International Military Sports Council, the World Military Games were held in Russia. The city of Sochi was chosen as the venue for the Third Winter Military World Games, where sports facilities created for the 2014 Olympic Games made it possible to hold competitions in seven winter sports.

Sports of winter military sports games

The sports program of the III Winter Military World Games 2017 consists of seven sports:

• Biathlon
• Ski race
• Skiing
• Ski orienteering
• Ski mountaineering
• Indoor climbing
• Short track

Organizers

The organizers of the games from the Russian side are the Ministry of Defense and CSKA.

The Ministry of Defense is entrusted with the organizational and technical support for the activities of the organizing committee, which is headed by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

The operator of the games is the "Central Sports Club of the Army" (CSKA).

Participating countries

In total, athletes from 26 countries of the world, including Russia and neighboring countries (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan), as well as European countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Finland, France, Switzerland) and Asian countries (Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Turkey, China, Mongolia, Korea).

Games calendar

The torch relay and the opening ceremony of the III Winter Military World Games will be held on February 24, 2017. Closing of the III Winter Military World Games will take place on February 27, 2017 in the Ice Cube multifunctional arena.

According to the head of CSKA, Colonel Mikhail Baryshev, two options for lighting the fire are proposed: “The first option: the fire will be lit in Switzerland, in Lausanne, near the headquarters of the Olympic Committee from the fire at the monument to the founder of the modern Olympic movement, Pierre de Coubertin. We plan to hold a military ritual in in the form of a wreath-laying by the Russian delegation at the monument, and the ambassador of the Military World Games will light a fire, which will be transferred to Sochi.

Also, symbolic fires will be lit in five military districts of Russia: in Kamchatka, in the Northern Fleet in Murmansk, in the North Caucasus on the top of Elbrus, in Central Russia and the Far East. All lights will converge in Moscow in front of the building of the Russian Ministry of Defense, from where the torch relay of the Military World Games in Sochi will begin.

Closing games

On February 27, 2017, the closing ceremony of the Winter Military World Games was held. Afterawarding the winners of the "patrol race" in biathlon,President of the International Council of Military Sports Abdulhakim Al-Shino presented the Russian team with a special prize - "Cup to the best team"

III World Military Games ended with the victory of the Russian team in the unofficial medal standings. The Russians won 42 medals, 22 of them gold. The flag of the Games has been handed over to Germany, which will host the competition in 2021.

Game history

The Military World Games is a multi-sport competition for military athletes organized by the International Military Sports Council in 1995. Initially, they were held every four years only in the summer - a year before the Olympic Games. In 2010, the International Military Sports Council also organized the Winter Military World Games.

The International Military Sports Council (CISM - Conseil International du Sport Militaire), founded by five European countries in February 1948 - the second largest sports organization after the International Olympic Committee - holds up to 20 competitions and other sporting events annually, including the Military World Games (summer and winter ), World Cadet Games, World Military Football Cup.

The International Military Sports Council unites 135 participating countries: 42 from Europe, 45 from Africa, 30 from Asia, 18 from America.

Russia joined the International Military Sports Council only in 1991, at the end of the Cold War period. Prior to this, the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact, not recognizing the international status of the council, were part of their own organization, the Sports Committee of Friendly Armies (SKDA, 1958) and held competitions every four years, which were called Friendly Army Spartakiads.

On May 10, 1991, at the 46th General Assembly of the Council in Tanzania, Russia became a member of the International Military Sports Council. Since then, Russian military athletes have taken part in the 1st-6th World Military Sports Games, where they won the first team place four times, winning a total of 550 medals (243 gold, 174 silver, 133 bronze).

The first Winter Military World Games were held by the International Military Sports Council on 20–25 March 1995 in the Aosta Valley in northwestern Italy. More than 800 athletes from 43 countries, including Russia, took part in the games. At the first and second Winter World Games, teams from Italy and France won the team event. Russia took the third place.

Some competitions have already been held in Russia within the framework of CISM: the world championships in modern pentathlon in 1992, in fencing in 1993, in swimming in 1994 and 2001, in orienteering and tennis in 1996, in judo in 1998 and 2005 , basketball in 2005 and parachuting in 2006 and 2016. A number of regional CISM championships and the Women's European Military Pentathlon Championships have also been organized. In 2000, the CISM European Meeting was successfully held in Moscow.

Notes

1. Organizers // Official site of the III Winter World Military Games.
2. Organizing Committee // Official site of the III Winter World Military Games.
3. Teams // Official site of the III Winter Military World Games.
4. Schedule of competitions // Official site of the III Winter World Military Games.
5. World Military Games in 2017 will be held in Sochi // Regnum, 12/08/2016.
6. CISM Member Nations // CISM - International Military Sports Council.
7. CISM History // CISM - International Military Sports Council.
8. Unknown military sport // Independent Military Review - Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 04/25/2014.
9. CISM World Winter Games // CISM - International Military Sports Council.
10. History // Official site of the III Winter World Military Games.