India is conducting the 4^th CISM Military World Games in Hyderabad and Mumbai in October this year. Nearly 127 countries are expected to participate in this mega event.  Going by the size, this event is considered as the biggest sporting event, next only to the Olympics. In Olympics almost 25% of the medal winners are from the armed forces from world over. These Champions will comprise the 6000 strong participants world wide. India is conducting this mega event for the first time.

The Military World Games are held under the aegis of CISM – Counseil International du Sport Militaire or the International Military Sports Council, better known by its acronym CISM, pronounced “sizum”. Founded in February 1948 with five member nations, it is today the second largest multi disciplinary sports organisation in the world, and the largest authority for military sports. CISM with a membership of 127 nations, 38 from Europe, 45 from Africa, 26 from Asia and 18 from the Americas is recognised by the IOC and the UN, and is a key player on the international sport scene. The Military World Games is its biggest event, held once in four years, in the year preceding the Olympics. The participants are service personnel from the militaries of member nations, the finest and fittest fraternity of young men and women in the world!

Though the five founding nations– Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg and Netherlands – were from Europe, CISM had a global vision from its inception; its primary purpose was the promotion of worldwide good will through competitions in sport. CISM, open to the armed forces of all nations, aims to develop friendly relations between them and contribute to the international effort for universal peace. It promotes sport, physical education and harmonious development of military personnel, while encouraging solidarity and mutual support.

Physical fitness is mandatory in the military sport as part of training ensures the military is ‘fighting fit’! The concept of a healthy body hosting a healthy mind is not just a cliché in the forces. CISM while focussing on physical fitness and excellence in sport aims to use this as a building block in promoting selflessness, sportsmanship and brotherhood of mankind.

The ideals and principles of CISM are enumerated in the Mission Statement adopted on its 50^th anniversary, during the General Assembly held in Baden, Austria in 1998. CISM is an apolitical organisation, which fosters through sport, friendship between military athletes to promote international harmony. It adheres to the universal principle that “all human beings are born free and equal, in dignity and in rights”, as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. CISM condemns all forms of discrimination towards a nation or a person on the basis of race, religion or political belief. It upholds democratic principles in its functioning, one nation represents one voice, majority rules and the General Assembly of member nations is its supreme authority. CISM by encouraging member nations to organize sports competitions in a spirit of equal opportunity, friendship, solidarity and fair play has succeeded in giving soldiers the opportunity to participate in some of the best international amateur competitions available. The council cooperates with all international institutions and organizations that share its objectives and encourages the assembly of citizens of the world.            

    The purpose of CISM is to allow militaries to gather in a climate of peace and friendship by providing service men and women the opportunity to meet on the sports field rather than the battlefield. Militaries facing each other in sports arenas instead of battlegrounds is not a new concept , it can in fact be traced to the ‘Olympic Truce’   which symbolizes the spirit of the Ancient Olympic Games, where  warring Greek cities assembled in ancient Olympia, their differences put aside to compete in sporting events where bonds were forged between former adversaries.                                                      

After the First World War in 1919, 18 nations from five continents competed in the 1st Inter Allied Games held in the Paris suburbs in an effort to bridge language and cultural barriers and bring together the allied forces to make them a cohesive force. The Games were a huge success. After the Second World War, the Allied Forces Sports Council was revived and the 2^nd Inter Allied Games were held in Berlin in 1946.  Allied forces from Western and Eastern Europe competed against each other on the playing field in keeping with the highest traditions of true sportsmanship and were conducted in perfect harmony. Unfortunately, due to political discord, the council was disbanded in 1947 when Russia withdrew with the other Eastern countries followed by England and the USA. However, five nations that had realized the potential of military sports in bringing nations together refused to let the idea die. They met the following year in Nice, France and formed CISM with a global vision.

CISM’s universality was carefully nurtured over the years. In 1950 Argentina and Egypt joined the then nine European member countries; the next year saw USA joining, followed by Lebanon, Pakistan and Syria in 1952. Thereafter membership progressed at a steady pace. The fall of the Berlin Wall resulted in 31 new nations joining between 1991 and 1995. A landmark was reached in 1995 with the organisation of the 1^st Military World Games in Rome. The high level of competition produced world champions and made CISM a force to reckon with. The Indian Armed Forces joined in 1999, the year the 2^nd Military World Games were held.

CISM’s current international recognition and strengthened visibility comes from high-level contacts with national governments and sports authorities during the many world and regional events it conducts throughout the year. It has close links with the IOC and is a member of the Olympic family. Mr Juan Antonio Samaranch the then President of the IOC played an active role in the celebrations of CISM’s 50^th anniversary and in the opening ceremonies of the first two editions of the Military World Games. The President of CISM is a permanent member of the International Olympic Truce Foundation. The newly-elected IOC President, Mr Jacques Rogge, has expressed the need for developing practical avenues of co-operation between CISM and the IOC.

CISM has developed common projects with United Nations Executing Agencies such as UNESCO, and the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on Sport for Development and Peace. CISM also takes part in the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) an opportunity to strengthen its contacts with other federations, improve the co-ordination of international sports programmes, develop synergies and study the feasibility of joint projects.

To quote Brig Gen Gianni Gola, CISM President, “Friendship, fair-play, solidarity and tolerance are the true seeds of the world’s largest gathering of Armed Forces working together for the emergence of world peace.” Brig Gen Gianni Gola from Italy was elected President in 1998 and re-elected in 2002, he is head of the 14 member Board of Directors (the policy making body) elected by the General Assembly that is represented by all 127 member nations. Four Vice-Presidents represent their continent in the Board of Directors and coordinate regional activities.  The General Secretariat, located in Brussels, is the permanent executive and administrative body managed by the Secretary General also elected by the General assembly for a four year term. All the office bearers work tirelessly towards achieving the high goals and ideals set out by CISM, encapsulated in its motto ‘Friendship through Sport’.

*Courtsey World Games Features

**For Photographs, please visit: www.mwg2007.org

RTS/VN

SS-138/SF-138/28.05.2007