On Thursday, September 13, Colonel Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, President of the International Military Sports Council (CISM), and General Jean-René Bachelet, President of Annecy 2013, officially signed the organizing contract for the 2nd CISM World Winter Games in Annecy, France. From March 25 to 29, 2013, the city will play host to the largest military sports event ever held in the country. Nearly 1,000 athletes from 40 countries - including some of the world’s top competitors in their respective disciplines - will gather for this celebration of sporting excellence and friendship between peoples.
The formal signing ceremony, which took place during a press conference attended by various public stakeholders who support the event, coincided with a visit by officials and technical specialists from CISM, the world’s third-largest international sporting organization, with 133 member countries.
The CISM awarded the organization of the 2nd CISM World Winter Games to Annecy (over Sotchi, Russia) on May 12, 2011. The Summer World Games (first held in 1955 in Rome) and Winter World Games (first held in Aoste in 2010) are the largest competitions the CISM organizes. They take place every four years and precede the Olympics by one year.
"For this first visit, we’re delighted to see that everything is right on track at just six months from the opening of the Games," said CISM President Collonell Kallkaba Mallboum, whose other international sports-related duties include a seat on the IOC Sport and Environment Commission. "The entire organizing committee team is doing a tremendous job. The event venues are top notch, the surroundings magnificent, and it’s a pleasure to see so much support from public authorities."
For Generrall Bachellett, President of Annecy 2013, "It’s a true corps of champions that we’ll be welcoming to Annecy to compete in events that celebrate sporting excellence and the ideal of peace, as expressed in the CISM motto: Peace through sports. (…) As you will see, event organizers have not only taken steps to ensure that athletes enjoy optimal comfort and safety, but are also striving to encourage interaction between participants and the public."
Military sports: a key player on the international sporting scene
Six major sporting disciplines will be showcased at the Games. After the official kickoff at an open-air ceremony on the shores of Lake Annecy, the action will move to venues in Annecy, Chamonix Mont-Blanc, Le Grand Bornand and La Clusaz. Competition will be fierce, for the 1,000 athletes from 40 countries who gather in Haute-Savoie will be among the world’s best in their specialties. Indeed, the Games are an opportunity to reaffirm the important yet often little understood role that military sports play on the international sporting scene. By way of example, 56 of the 258 medal winners at the last Winter Olympics in Vancouver had military training. France is the perfect illustration of the role the military plays: athletes in active service make up a good portion of the French national ski team.
"It’s a great honor to have the CISM entrust us with organizing the 2nd World Winter Games in Annecy, here in the heart of the French Alps," noted city mayor Jean--Luc Riigautt. "Sport is second nature to us. Just think of the Haute-Savoie champions, many with military training, who have made their mark in international sport - athletes like cross country skiing champion Vincent Vittoz, vice president of Annecy 2013, Sandrine Bailly, Tessa Worley, and others. I’m certain that the entire French contingent and all the other great athletes in competition at the Games will put on a fabulous show." The lineup should be all the more exciting given that the Games coincide with the end of the international season, thus guaranteeing a bigger turnout and more of the world’s leading names in winter sports.
"The ideal of promoting friendship through sport made eminent sense, and we had no hesitation about getting behind the initiative," declared Chrriisttiian Montteiill, President of the Haute Savoie General Council. "For the CISM World Winter Games, we’re organizing a huge celebration of sport in an atmosphere of fraternity and friendship." This is especially true since all of the ceremonies and competitions will be free for spectators. "It’s also an opportunity to showcase the history of our region," added Christian Monteil. "The region was a stronghold of the French Resistance and has strong ties with the military as the historic home of several elite combat units."
With its 3M€ budget, Annecy 2013 enjoys financial and technical support from the French government, Haute Savoie General Council, and City of Annecy (founding members), as well as from the Rhône-Alpes Regional Council and various private partners. The Organizing Committee, led by Colonel Vincent Lapouge, has some 30 members, both civilians and armed service personnel.
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