4th CISM Military World Summer Games - Hyderabad (IND) 2007
A GREAT SUCCESS WITH MORE THAN 5000 PARTICIPANTS FROM OVER 101 COUNTRIES!
All of us are Indians!
When our President, General Gola, pronounced these words at the opening of the 4th CISM Military World Games in Hyderabad, numerous cheers were to be heard in the Gachiboli Stadium. During the following seven days, the heart of Hyderabad, the capital of Andrah Pradesh state, in fact, beat to the rhythm of the greatest military sports festival ever organized. Respect and mutual comprehension should represent the guidelines in this 4th edition of the CISM Military World Games. Respect for our guests, the Indian Armed Forces, who realized the unimaginable to welcome about 4738 participants representing 101 member countries of our organization. Respect as well for all the unknown workers and the thousands of volunteers, who, from the lowest to the highest level of the organization, put their hearts and courage into the works to offer us the necessary infrastructure for this great festival of military sports for peace. And above all, respect especially for all those military athletes and trainers, who worked hard for these Games and there to get to know different fortunes.
The opening ceremony, which was broadcasted live by the national channels, allowed the Indian population to discover the power of a military sport getting more and more competitive, as well as the brotherhood of all the young people coming from four corners of the world to become during one week in India the true ambassadors of peace. The Indian Air Force filled the sky with a spectacular air show and with parachute acrobatics, which took your breath away. The nice mascot of the games, the big Bison called “Bravo” was of course present as well. A hurricane of applause dominated the stadium as the first countries started to march in front of the amazed eyes of numerous children, who were invited by the Indian Armed Forces. On the occasion of that magisterial military parade, one can be sure that all the participants shall never forget this warm reception. For all present persons in the seats and on the central field, the ceremonial speech and the dignified high authorities of the games made it possible to understand the important role of sports in the development of a better and more human society. Her Excellency Pratibha Patil, President of the Indian Republic gave us the honor to officially declare the opening of the 4th Military World Games. The intensity of the popular happiness decreased by no means while the cultural representations were carried in the arms by hundreds of children from Hyderabad, who filled our eyes with lively and magic colors. It was an explosion of joy when the first fireworks embraced the heaven with this delightful open air show. About 25,000 persons were filled with enthusiasm by the colorful and sparkling rockets. The serious things could now begin.
Our athletes were decided to present more than just some supernumeraries on the occasion of the competitions which would take place the next days. They had trained in view of the games and this could be seen from the first encounters of the numerous sports programs during the games. Not less than 27 new CISM records and three world records were broken in India. We have to note, that the military feminine athletes present in Hyderabad, won fantastic results. 17 new records out of the 27 were established by women. Our athletes confused the stopwatches, reached the goal and hit the mark with such a regularity that this fact made the Swiss watches go pale of jealousy.
101 member countries! Which other sports organization can reveal so many Armed Forces representatives within the bounds of military events celebrating peace? Do not search for them a long time; there is no other except CISM! This message was handed down by CISM since its establishment in 1948 gained an increasing hearing among the population of the world and the Military World Games in Hyderabad have also added their brick to the house organizing an international seminar on the verge of the sports competitions with the slogan “Sport for Peace”. For this seminar, the CISM had created numerous cooperation with the International Olympic Committee and the National Olympic Committee of India. There, different speakers of high importance from civil, sportive and military spheres could share their experiences and projects; all approved to say that military sports in general and CISM in particular had a major role to play in this “combat for peace”.
These 4th CISM Military World Games represent in a few figures not less than 682 hours of sportive competitions, a few tens of liters of sweat and tears, some of joy, some of pain and frustration, thousands of kilometers raced on the tracks, land and water. For CISM, this meant more than three years of preparation and coordination, thousands of hours of work and discussions. But the 4th CISM Military World Games also left behind, above all, an incalculable legacy of friendship and mutual understanding, which were reinforced or created in India. And it is obviously this legacy, which we will carry in our luggage to Brazil in 2011 for the 5thedition of the CISM Military World Games in Rio de Janero.
Good bye Hyderabad! Bemvindo Brasil!
