Military Olympics
An event was held on March 27 to prepare to successfully host the International Military Sports Council (CISM) Military World Games, which is considered to be “the Olympics of soldiering,” being held in October in Mungyeong, Gyeongsang North Province.
Presided over by its Chairman Kim Sang-ki, who was the former Army Chief of Staff, the Organizing Committee debriefed progress reports and had a tour of the facilities, including the main stadium of the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps in Mungyeong.
In the progress report, Yoo Sang-soo, an army colonel and the head of the planning department at the organizing committee, said, “Under the motto of 'Friendship through Sports,' the 6th CISM World Games Mungyeong Korea 2015 will be a meaningful event in which soldiers from all over the world become united in the only divided nation in the world.”
Approximately 8,700 soldiers from 110 countries will participate in the games that will be held for 10 days from Oct. 2 under the slogan of “Friendship Together, Peace Forever.”
The organizing committee is planning to host 19 out of its 24 events at existing stadiums after the renovation, rather than in new constructions.
Also, it will assign athlete’s villages to three the regions of Mungyeong, Yeongcheon, and Goesan, considering the shortest distance to each sport and the traits of each participating country.
Organizing Committee Chairman Kim Sang-ki said, “Marking the 70th anniversary of South Korea’s Independence, we are happy to host the event in the hope of world peace through sports. We will pro-actively prepare for the international event and contribute to Hallyu culture diffusion and the local economy.”
Meanwhile, North Korea gave notice to the organizing committee about its preliminary entry of 213 soldiers for the Games in October last year. An official from the organizing committee said, “The submission of participation consent forms ends in August. So, we should wait and see until then whether they will participate in the games.”