An Cosantóir the official magazine of the Irish Defence Forces and Reserve Defence Forces.
Issue link: https://digital.jmpublishing.ie/i/37320
WORLD MILITARY C 28 | BY SGT DAVID NAGLE ongratulations to all our Defence Forces sportsmen and women who are taking part in the 5th World Military Games in Brazil from July 16th to the 24th. After years of planning sweat, long training sessions each will proudly fly the flag for Ireland against some of the best internation- Games al sport stars in the world. Remember, our boxers, marksmen, parachutists, athletes and judo star are mostly all fulltime professional soldiers, so they still had to perform their respective military duties, while at the same time, train and then qualify to represent the Defence Forces at the games. Equally, they are competing most weeks at a national and inter- national level in their respective sports. Though we are a small military force compared to others, the Defence Forces has always done well at the games. GAMES MASCOT The games mascot Arion is greek for ‘one who has the power’. In promoting peace through sport, the designer Maurício de Souza thought of a boy who can turn into a futuristic super military-athlete. CISM Founded in 1948, the International Military Sports Council (CISM) is one of the largest multi-disciplinary organisations in the world, organising various sporting events for 133 armed forces. Soldiers, who may previously have met on the battlefield, now meet in friendship on the sports play- ing field. CISM’s ultimate goal is to contribute to world peace by uniting armed forces through sports. Their motto is Friend- ship through Sport. Every year, CISM organises some 20 Military World Cham- pionships worldwide, which take place under the two CISM pillars of sport and solidarity. The Military World Games were created by CISM and the first games took place in 1995 in Rome and four years since (Croatia -1999, Italy - 2003 and India - 2007). In 2010, the first Military Winter Games took place in the Italian Alps. CISM is also recognised internationally for its role in training elite athletes and they have implemented projects organised in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee, the United Nations and the European Commu- nity. CISM also organises regular international symposia to study various aspects of physical education and sport within armed forces. Members of the Triathlon Team Members of the Parachuting Team Members of the Shooting Team An Cosantóir August 2011