From February 22 to 28, 2017, the Military World Games were held in Russia for the first time in the history of the International Military Sports Council. 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 racing
- Alpine skiing
- Ski orienteering
- Ski mountaineering
- Indoor climbing
- Short track
Organizers
The organizers of the games on the Russian side are the Ministry of Defense and CSKA.
The Ministry of Defense is entrusted with 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 will take part in the III Winter Military World Games, 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 opening ceremony of the III Winter Military World Games will be held on February 24, 2017. The closing ceremony 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 have been proposed: “The first option: the fire will be lit in Switzerland, in Lausanne at 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 the Russian delegation laying wreaths at the monument, and the ambassador of the Military World Games will light the fire, which will be transferred to Sochi."
Also, symbolic lights 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 in the Far East. All the lights will converge in Moscow in front of the building of the Russian Ministry of Defense, where the torch relay of the Military World Games in Sochi will begin.
08:00 |
Ski mountaineering Individual. race men, women |
Ski mountaineering Command race men, women Ski center "Rosa Khutor" |
|||
09:00 |
Alpine skiing Official training Ski center "Rosa Khutor" |
Ski racing 09:30- 12:30 Individual race (free style) 10 km. women, 15 km. husband. |
Ski orienteering Average distance men, women |
Alpine skiing Slalom women Ski center "Rosa Khutor" |
Ski orienteering Relay race for men and women Ski and biathlon complex "Laura" |
10:00 |
Short track
10:00- 14:00 Official training Ice Palace "Iceberg" |
Alpine skiing 09:30- 13:00 Slalom men. Ski center "Rosa Khutor" |
Ski racing 10:00- 12:30 Team sprint (free style) Ski and biathlon complex "Laura" |
Rock climbing 09:30- 11:00 Speed climbing (classic format, qualification) Bolshoi Sports Palace |
|
11:00 |
Ski orienteering 11:00- 14:00 Official training Ski and biathlon complex "Laura" |
Rock climbing 11:00- 14:00 Bolshoi Sports Palace |
Rock climbing 11:00- 14:00 Difficulty climbing (semi-final) Bolshoi Sports Palace |
Rock climbing 10:00- 15:00 Bouldering (qualification) Bolshoi Sports Palace |
Rock climbing 11:00- 12:00 Speed climbing (classic format, final) Bolshoi Sports Palace |
12:00 |
Ski racing 11:00- 14:00 Official training |
||||
13:00 |
Biathlon 13:30- 14:45 Sprint 10 km. husband. Ski and biathlon complex "Laura" |
Ski orienteering 13:00- 15:00 Sprint men's, women's |
Biathlon 13:00- 14:30 Patrol race 15 km. wives |
||
14:00 |
Rock climbing 14:00- 18:00 Difficulty climbing (qualification) Bolshoi Sports Palace |
Rock climbing 14:00- 16:00 Speed climbing (record format, qualification) |
|||
15:00 |
Biathlon 15:00- 19:00 Official training Ski and biathlon complex "Laura" |
Biathlon 15:00- 16:30 Mixed relay Ski and biathlon complex "Laura" |
Biathlon 15:30- 17:00 Official training for men and women. Ski and biathlon complex "Laura" |
Medal ceremony 15:00- 16:00 Ski mountaineering, ski orienteering Biathlon 15:30- 17:15 Patrol race 20km. husband. Ski and biathlon complex "Laura" |
|
16:00 |
Short track 16:00- 18:00 500m race. male, female Ice Palace "Iceberg" Biathlon 16:00- 17:00 Sprint 7.5 km. wives Ski and biathlon complex "Laura" |
Biathlon 16:00- 17:00 Sprint 7.5 km. wives Ski and biathlon complex "Laura" |
Rock climbing
16:00- 17:00 Speed climbing (record format, final) Bolshoi Sports Palace |
||
17:00 |
Ski racing 17:00- 18:30 Official training Ski and biathlon complex "Laura" |
||||
18:00 |
Torch relay 18:00- 19:00 Torch relay |
Short track 18:30- 21:00 1000m race. male, female Ice Palace "Iceberg" |
Short track 18:30- 20:30 Mixed 3000m relay. male, female Ice Palace "Iceberg" |
||
19:00 | |||||
20:00 |
Opening ceremony 20:00- 22:00 Opening ceremony of the III Winter Military World Games |
Rock climbing 20:00- 22:00 Difficulty climbing (final, duel) Bolshoi Sports Palace Medal ceremony 20:30- 21:30 Ski mountaineering, cross-country skiing, biathlon, alpine skiing, ski orienteering Rosa Square of the Rosa Khutor ski resort |
Rock climbing 20:00- 22:00 Bouldering (final) Bolshoi Sports Palace Medal ceremony 20:30- 21:00 Short Track Medal ceremony 20:30- 21:30 Alpine skiing, ski orienteering, cross-country skiing Rosa Square of the Rosa Khutor ski resort |
Medal ceremony 20:00- 20:30 Biathlon, rock climbing, "Best Nation" Cup Multifunctional arena "Ice Cube" Closing ceremony 20:00- 22:00 Closing ceremony of the III Winter Military World Games Multifunctional arena "Ice Cube" |
|
21:00 |
Medal ceremony 21:00- 21:30 Short Track |
||||
22:00 |
Medal ceremony 22:00- 22:30 Rock climbing |
Medal ceremony 22:00- 22:30 Rock climbing |
Closing games
On February 27, 2017, the closing ceremony of the Winter Military World Games took place. Afterawarding the winners of the "patrol race" in biathlon,President of the International Military Sports Council Abdulhakim Al-Shino presented the Russian team with a special prize - “Cup for the best team”
III World War Games ended with the victory of the Russian team in the unofficial medal standings. The Russians won 42 medals, 22 of them gold. The Games flag has been handed over to Germany, which will host the competition in 2021.
Game history
The Military World Games are competitions in various sports 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 Council for Military Sports (CISM - Conseil International du Sport Militaire), founded by five European countries in February 1948 - the second largest sports organization after the International Olympic Committee - annually organizes up to 20 competitions and other sporting events, 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. Before this, the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact countries, 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 the Spartakiads of Friendly Armies.
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 I–VI Summer Military World Sports Games, where they took 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 from 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, the teams of Italy and France won the team competition. Russia took third place.
In Russia, several competitions have already been held 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 , in basketball in 2005 and in parachuting in 2006 and 2016. A number of regional CISM championships and the Women's European Military Pentathlon Championships were also organized. In 2000, the European CISM meeting was successfully held in Moscow.
Notes
- Organizers // Official website of the III Winter World War Games.
- Organizing Committee // Official website of the III Winter World War Games.
- Teams // Official website of the III Winter World War Games.
- Competition schedule // Official website of the III Winter World War Games.
- The World Military Games in 2017 will be held in Sochi // Regnum, 12/08/2016.
- CISM Member Nations // CISM – International Military Sports Council.
- CISM History // CISM – International Military Sports Council.
- Unknown military sport // Independent Military Review - Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 04/25/2014.
- CISM World Winter Games // CISM – International Military Sports Council.
- History // Official website of the III Winter World War Games.
On May 22, 2015, in Kuwait City, 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 landmark (but already tainted by doping history) Games in 2014. From February 22 to 28, 2017, in the resort city, the Military World Winter Games are an analogue of the real Olympic Games, but exclusively for the military.
SCAPP takes a look at 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 and summer war games. At the same time, participating countries often field professional athletes who are enrolled in the armed forces, but are actually exempt from active military service (serve one month a year for 10 - 12 years). For example, throughout the history of the Winter Military Games, such famous athletes as Martin Fourcade, Ariana Fontana, Dario Cologna, Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle and Natalia Korosteleva have taken part in the competition.
Throughout history?
Do they have a story?Yes. The first (summer) games took place 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 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
Who is the organizer? IOC?No, the International Olympic Committee has nothing to do with it. Organizer - CISM - International Council of Military Sports. The organization was created in 1948 in Nice, France 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
So there will be hockey, figure skating and all that at the games?No. And although the sports included in the competition program sometimes change, figure skating and hockey are not held as part of the war games. For example, the program of the Winter Military Games in Sochi 2017 includes 8 sports:
- Biathlon
- Ski racing
- Alpine skiing
- Ski orienteering
- Ski mountaineering
- Patrol Race
- Indoor sport climbing
- Short track
Clear
How do our people perform at these war games?Better than the Olympic team. The Russian team participated in all summer games (except for 2011, when Russia refused to participate), where it took a confident first place overall as a team (not counting 2003, when it surpassed China in the total number of medals, but lost in gold). And in 2015, the Russian team generally set an absolute record for the summer military games, winning a total of 135 medals (59 of them gold). If we don’t have any problems in the summer, then the situation with the winter games is worse: both times (in 2010 and 2013) - 4th place.
What will happen in Sochi?
And where will all this take place?The III Military World Winter Games will be held in Sochi from February 22 to 28, 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 Annecy for the last winter games.
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 used: the Bolshoi Ice Palace (sport climbing), the Iceberg Winter Sports Palace (short track), the Gazprom State Sports Center (cross-country skiing, biathlon and ski orienteering), Rosa Khutor GC "(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 flame), the installation of a clock with a countdown to the start of the competition (in the main city squares) and the participation of the CSKA helicopter aerobatic team.
On Friday evening, the Ice Cube stadium in the Sochi Olympic Park transformed from a meeting place for curling fans into a huge VIP hall, where, among other guests, the Russian Prime Minister, Defense Minister Sergei and the President of the International Council of Military Sports (CISM) Colonel Abdulhakim al-Shino arrived .
Preparations for Sochi for the III Winter World Military Games took two years. This is their first time in Russia. Previously, Italy and France hosted the competition. War games have many similarities to Olympic competitions. The main difference is that only military personnel compete here. In addition, the games program includes some non-Olympic sports: for example, ski mountaineering, short track speed skating, ski orienteering, as well as rock climbing, which will be included in the Olympic program for the first time only in 2020 in Tokyo.
The biathlon program of the war games includes another unique discipline - “patrol race”. Teams of four compete in it and start together. The patrol leader runs without weapons - three “patrolmen” fire at his command. If one participant misses, the entire team is sent to penalty loops.
The potential list of participants consists of representatives of 135 countries, but only 26 teams came to Russia for the competition, including teams from China, Germany, Italy, France and Iran.
When asked by journalists why many countries ignored the event, CISM Secretary General, Colonel Dorah Mambi Koita from Guinea, said that the Russian side sent out invitations to everyone, but fewer teams came than for previous games in France.
“Our organization includes 135 states. About 70% of them are not winter, which may be why they did not come. In my country (Guinea - Gazeta.Ru) the temperature in winter is 25 degrees, in Sochi it’s cold,” the black colonel joked.
At the entrance, guests were given glow-in-the-dark bracelets with the official logo, which effectively emphasized the applause of the three-thousand-capacity arena.
The opening ceremony began with drummers from the Khalilov Moscow Military Music School and the boarding school for female students.
Next to perform was the Alexandrov Academic Ensemble of the Russian Army, whose artists were recruited anew after the Tu-154 disaster in Sochi in December.
The prima ballerina and soloist of the Bolshoi Theater and stunt motorcyclists and extreme athletes performed for the guests.
The flame of the Military World Games was lit by biathletes - lieutenant colonel and two-time Olympic champion and sports veteran, also two-time Olympic champion, reserve colonel 65-year-old Anatoly Alyabyev.
The flags of the participating teams were carried by servicemen of the Honor Guard company of the 154th Separate Commandant's Preobrazhensky Regiment. The German team was the first to appear on the arena, and the Russian team brought up the rear.
Shoigu was the first to come out to the podium to greet the competition participants on behalf of the President of Russia.
There, in Sochi, Shoigu said that the term “ostentatious military unit” was excluded from the Russian army dictionary. This is reported with reference to the Match TV channel.
“I simply crossed out the word “ostentatious” from my vocabulary and our army vocabulary. What does “show regiment” mean? Who will fight tomorrow? One such “ostentatious military unit”? What is everyone else for then?” - said the head of the Ministry of Defense.
Medvedev, who spoke second, emphasized that war games are peaceful competitions.
“And their participants will show not the ability to fight, but sporting achievements, fair sports fighting,” the prime minister said.
He recalled the motto of the International Military Sports Council - “Friendship through sport!”
CISM leader Abdulhakim al-Shino, in his speech, drew the attention of the audience that international sanctions imposed on Russia were not taken into account when choosing a country to host the competition.
“Russia is a very powerful country in the modern world. Therefore, during the voting they chose Russia’s candidacy, without any regard to the political situation. The political situation was very tough, but there is no place for politics in our organization, we are all equal,” said the leader of the world organization of military athletes.
The competition itself began even before the official opening - on Friday morning.
The first day brought the Russian team 11 medals, including six gold.
Nothing has been officially announced yet about what additional encouragement the Russian medalists of the Military World Games will receive, but the athletes themselves are counting on being awarded an early military rank.
For example, a speed skater lieutenant admitted that he dreams of rising to the rank of colonel. For him, the strongest competitors at the games are athletes from Italy and China.
The “Military Olympics” takes place from February 24 to 27 inclusive at four sites: the Iceberg Ice Palace, the Bolshoi Sports Palace, the Laura Ski and Biathlon Complex and the Rosa Khutor Ski Center. In total, about 1,000 athletes from 26 countries take part in the competition. They will compete for 44 sets of medals in seven sports: biathlon, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, ski mountaineering, short track speed skating, rock climbing and ski orienteering.
The Russian Ministry of Defense organized free entry for everyone to any competition within the games. Their schedule can be tracked on the official website of the event.
User: Alexander Petrich
OPENING CEREMONY OF THE III WINTER WORLD MILITARY GAMES IN SOCHI 02/24/2017
The opening ceremony of the III Winter World Military Games is taking place at the Ice Cube Arena. 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, sporting competitions began even before the official start of the games.
The grand opening is in full swing. The stands are full of guests. The time chosen for the start of the ceremony was symbolic - it began exactly at 20.17 with the colorful theatrical show “Sochi Welcomes Guests”. At the climax, the luminous elements form a star - this is a symbol of the games. Then the drummers and the military orchestra of the Russian Ministry of Defense performed. Parade of athletes from 26 countries. Elena Isinbaeva, Dmitry Sautin, Svetlana Khorkina and other famous army men brought the flag of our country into the stadium. The flag of the International Military Sports Council was entrusted to be carried by the honor guard of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. The head of government and the minister of defense addressed the competition participants and spectators.
“I believe that Sochi will bring you good luck and give you a bright, spectacular holiday. Russia is hosting war games for the first time. This is both a great honor and, of course, responsibility for us. We are happy to welcome military athletes from more than 20 countries and strive to do everything to ensure that a kind of army Olympics is held at the highest level,”- said Dmitry Medvedev.
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 hosting this important, large-scale event went to Russia rightfully. Our country is deservedly proud of its established traditions of army sports and 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 takes place in the Olympic Park. A particularly valuable cargo was delivered to Sochi tonight from Moscow. This fire was lit in different parts of Russia: on Sakhalin, at 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 taken to Moscow the day before, on Defender of the Fatherland Day, to be combined there and then sent to Sochi. They arrived 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! Alexey 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 shooting ranges. Our team won silver and bronze from women biathletes, and we got two more bronze medals in short track speed skating. 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 once every four years, only for athletes in uniform. Motto: "Friendship through sports". More than a thousand participants from 26 countries. Many are members of national teams, leading world athletes, so the fight for medals promises to be spectacular. And the Olympic infrastructure helps: Sochi has everything to host competitions of this level. Ski mountaineers, 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.
The Big Ice Palace arena was repurposed especially for the World Military Games. Now in place of the ice is a professional climbing wall, which was built specifically for these competitions to the highest international standards.
All our athletes are in a truly fighting mood.
“This is quite an important start for me, because I play for my club CSKA. I only recently joined these troops and, of course, I want to show the most worthy result, and also enjoy these competitions,”- said Sofya Prosvirnova, a member of the short track 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 speed skating. The competitions were held both in the city itself and in the mountain cluster - the Rosa Khutor and Laura ski and biathlon centers.
The first Military World Games, organized by the International Military Sports Council, took place in September 1995 in Rome and included competitions only in summer sports. Then 93 countries took part in them, the Russian team won. Summer competitions between military athletes take place every four years. At various times they were hosted by Croatia, Brazil, India and South Korea. In 2019, China will host the Summer War Games.
The Winter Military 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 competition was held in Annecy, France, and this year in Sochi. At a press conference dedicated to the end of the Games, project manager of the International Council of Military Sports Guilherme Keys noted that Sochi “one hundred percent fulfilled the high demands placed on it.”
In the medal standings of the 2017 Military Games, the Russian team became the undisputed leader. The team has 42 awards: 22 gold, 9 silver and 11 bronze. Second place went to Italy, third was taken by the French team.
The most medal-winning sports for Russians were biathlon and ski orienteering. The famous skier Major Eduard Khrennikov became a six-time champion of the Military World Games, winning two gold medals at the games held in Sochi. Both Russian teams - both women's and men's - became the undisputed favorites of the patrol race. Climber Sergei Luzhetsky and biathlete brought a gold medal to the national team.
Photo: press service of the III World Winter Military Games
The competition used facilities built for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Ski mountaineering and slalom relay races were held at the Rosa Khutor ski and biathlon complex. At Laura, athletes competed for victory in cross-country skiing, ski orienteering and biathlon. Facilities located in Sochi itself were also involved: the rock climbing relay took place at the Bolshoi Sports Palace, and the short track competition was hosted at the Iceberg Ice Palace.
Each facility had a press center equipped with everything necessary for journalists to work. 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, although not much, differed, which caused certain problems. Thus, the Russian slalom skier said that her eighth place in the women’s competition was due, among other things, to the fact that it was too warm, which caused potholes 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
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 the 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 existing in the country and form its positive image. Abdulhakim Al-Shino specifically thanked the Russian President for his help and support in organizing the Games, which were held under the traditional motto of military sports “Friendship through Sports.”
“Money can buy and build objects, but you can’t buy people’s hearts, and in this city I met a lot of kind, wonderful people,” said Colonel Al-Shino. The next Winter Military World Games will take place in Germany in 2021. Representatives of the International Military Sports Council were unanimous in the opinion that the future capital of the Military Games would have to make significant efforts to organize the event at the same high level as in Sochi.