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| Armies of 89 nations to clash from today | | Military World Games being held at Hyderabad | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Oct 13
Trained to be only winner in the battles, nearly five thousand military personnel from 89 nations across the globe on the last count will compete with each other at the biggest multi-sports international event of 2007 on the world stage – the fourth edition of the ‘Conseil International du Sport Militaire’s (CISM) Military World Games (MWG), being hosted at Hyderabad and Mumbai from 14 to 21 October 2007.
The ambassadors of the armed forces of the participating nations will sportingly achieve the underlying CISM motto: ‘friendship through sports’, adopted in 1948. But that may not just yet take away the highly competitive element of the Games that will be fiercely contested just as in any competitive sports for 1076 medals, albeit in a spirit of military excellence, camaraderie and esprit de corps.
But even as military athletes the world over prepare to compete at the select playfields of Hyderabad that are to be the sporting battlefields of the ensuing games, the MWG organizers of the Indian Armed Forces are approaching the conduct of the event with a game plan that is no less in measure, magnitude and scale than any elaborate war plan of a successful conquest.
“We are very happy with the procedure and progress of the organization”, expressed President CISM, Brigadier General Gianni Gola from Italy, clearly impressed with the arrangement and preparation after the final preparatory meet visit to the Games venues at Hyderabad and Mumbai in the third week of August. “It is for the first time in the history of CISM that a new member country has been able to construct new infrastructure for the Games, he further stated thanking the host nation.
Usually, a host country, organizing an event of the scale of Olympics gets into the preparatory act 8-10 years preceding the event. “The 4th MWG being next only in scale, proportion and participation to the Olympics, comes about in a period of less than two years,” informs Cmde SC Joshi, Secretary General of the MWG Organising Committee.
The contact of the Games was signed only in November 2005. It is to the credibility and standing of the Indian Armed Forces among the comity of the military nations of the world that an event of such enormity got approved by the CISM, enabling its conduct first time anywhere outside Europe. The current preparation of venues including some new sporting infrastructure as well as living accommodation for the athletes are expected to be ready will ahead of the Games. These will also go a long way in bolstering the Indian Army’s long time objective of grooming prospective medal winners in future Olympics for the country.
The CISM, founded in 1948, can be best described on parity as the International Olympics Committee equivalent for the military. It was only in 1999 that India became a member of this forum. The MWG debuted in Rome in 1995 and were hosted lin 1999 by Zagreb, Croatia and in 2003 by Catania, Italy. After India, Brazil will host the next 2011 Games.
A total of thirteen disciplines of the competition will be hosted at Hyderabad and Mumbai. These include athletics (track and field event), handball, volley-ball, football, judo, boxing, wrestling, swimming and diving, shooting, triathlon, parachuting, sailing and the unique military pentathlon that entails five sub-disciplines of obstacle running, obstacle swimming, cross country run, shooting and grenade throwing. A polo exhibition match is also slated during the MWG.
This year, MWG will see the participation of 4581 military personnel form 89countries. Of these, 3006 are athletes (2272 men and 734 women) and 1575 team officials. This does not include the 1300 technical officials who along with the Organising Committee members add up to a sizable sum. The total participation of women is about 18 per cent. A total of three military sports, eight individual / team events and three combat events will see sportspersons compete for 1076 medals (341 Gold, 341 Silver and 394 Bronze). The medals mentioned are all inclusive of the team events.
The maximum medals to be won are in the track and field games, 28 and 26 each of gold, silver and bronze by men and women athletes respectively. Next in order comes swimming with 28 and 23 each in similar categories. Sailing is the only event in which the medals in the mixed category will be awarded. The medals have been made at the Government Mint Mumbai.
Major General Anil Chait, General Officer Commanding of the Army’s Bison Infantry Division and other Brigade Commanders in Secunderabad, Mehdipatam, Golconda and Andhra Sub Area Commander have been overseeing the preparations that the fast nearing completion. The Flag Officer Maharashtra Area (FOMA) is responsible for the arrangement for the sailing and triathlon events slated in Mumbai on the west coast. At any of the military venues, one can easily sense the urgency and commitment of the men in uniform to set things just right. |
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