Margarita Robles bids farewell to athletes heading to compete in Military World Games in Wuhan

Margarita Robles wished to bid farewell and offer her best wishes for the largest military sporting competition in the world, which will take place between 17 and 29 October.

"We want to offer you our support, encouragement, good luck and, above all, to recognise your long-standing hard work and effort", said the Spanish minister.

"Sport stands for effort, preparation, often sacrifice, but also strength, vitality and passion, as well as, in this specific case, working towards and fighting for peace. You are the finest example of the Armed Forces, which are modern, effective, and committed to peace and sport", she said.

Margarita Robles went on to add that "sport unites cultures, countries and positions. That is why what you are doing is so important: defending Spain through the Armed Forces and practising sport, which represents the best parts of any individual, the desire to overcome obstacles, to compete and move forward, and to achieve more".

"Therefore, there is no better demonstration than to work for peace and do so through sport, because sport unites and resolves differences", she explained.

The Spanish Minister for Defence concluded her speech by encouraging the athletes, to whom she said that "everyone at the Ministry of Defence will be by your side at all times, in every event you compete in. I am convinced that you will return with many medals because you deserve them. Every time you go to compete, we support you because you are some of the finest ambassadors of the Armed Forces, of Spain and of sport".

The Spanish delegation at these Military World Games (163 athletes) will compete in the following disciplines: aeronautical pentathlon, military pentathlon, naval pentathlon, track and fields, equestrian, parachuting, fencing, orienteering, shooting, boxing, sailing, golf, life-saving, taekwondo, swimming, triathlon and cycling.

The number of Spanish participants has increased this year on the games held in South Korea in 2015 (100) due to the increase in female athletes and the new disciplines in which the Spanish Armed Forces will compete.

"This delegation of athletes is unlike any other from previous years and there is one reason for that: the number of women amounts to 30% of the total and they will take part in all the athletic disciplines", stressed the head of the Military World Games missions, General José García Cifo.

In total, more than 10,000 high-level athletes from the Armed Forces in over 100 countries around the world will attend these Military World Games.

The games are organised by the International Military Sports Council (CISM), a sports body made up by 134 countries that runs and coordinates multi-disciplinary competitions for the Armed Forces.

This farewell event was attended by the Under-Secretary for Defence and Chair of the National Military Sports Council, Alejo de la Torre; the Head of the Military Chamber of the Household of H.M. the King of Spain, Admiral Juan Ruíz Casas; and the Director-General for Military Recruitment and Training, María Amparo Valcarce.

Support for sport

The Ministry of Defence and, specifically, the National Military Sports Council are supporting initiatives that encourage the practice of high-level sport within the Armed Forces. To that end, partnership agreements have been signed with the National Sports Council and Sports Federations to promote military athletes in elite sport.

Non official translation