The First Winter Military World Games, planned into the Autonomous Region, have been presented during the XXI Winter Olympic Games Vancouver 2010

(VANCOUVER, 20/02/2010). From 20th to 25th March, the region is ready to welcome the many challenges which sound like a revenge after the Winter Olympic Games of Vancouver 2010. In the wonderful natural ledge of the mountains of Aosta Valley, more than 800 athletes, representing about 40 Nations, will compete for five days for the titles of world military champions, during the absolute first edition of the Winter Military World Games. On the occasion of Olympics, the Winter Military World Games have been presented by President Gen. Gianni Gola, and Gen. Rinaldo Sestili Stato Maggiore Difesa.

Some of the best military athletes of  the national World Cup teams could attend the Winter Military Games: the champions of alpine and cross-country skiing, biathlon and short-track.

In addition to  the Olympic Winter sports, the event will offer different and interesting novelties: ski-mountaineering, ski orienteering and indoor sport climbing. The championships are the only appointment able to group together all the best uniformed athletes of the world: a big sport event, a meeting among many young people working in missions throughout the world, to guaranty peace and safety, and, now, meeting into the wonderful landscape of the Aosta Valley, to honour their Country and to win the wished medals, the first ones put up in a fascinating and crowd-pulling event.

SPORTS AND COMPETITIONS PROGRAMME

More than 800 athletes from about 40 Nations have entered the tight calendar of competitions and will be the protagonists of big challenges on different tracks, among the most beautiful ski resorts of the Aosta Valley: Pila, Flassin, Brusson, Gressoney, Cogne and Courmayeur. Added to the usual classical alpine proves and to an ice-sport, there will be more fascinating proves, related to the mountain.

AOSTA: the Opening Ceremony will take place on the E. Chanoux Square, on Saturday 20th March, at 5.00 p.m.

BRUSSON: Biathlon and Biathlon patrol. In this sport athletes compete into two different proves: cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. At the moment, biathlon is one of the most followed Winter sports. According to this discipline, 30 targets are put on a rifle range in  correspondence  with the same number of emplacements. The sprint competition will be of 10 km men and 7,5 km ladies; the patrol race will be of 25 km men and 15 km ladies (each patrol will be composed by 1 patrol-chief + 3 patrol-athletes).

COGNE: cross-country skiing. The tracks of Cogne have the Meadow of S. Orso as central point: it’s a huge hollow at the edge of the town, and many laps of  different length stretch on it. The meadow is then connected, through other tracks, to Valnontey, Lillaz and Epinel: in each village there are many other laps, which all together form a big whole of courses reaching several dozens of kilometres. There are four main rings  for a total of 21 kilometres, plus three connection rings.
Many high level competitions are organized on the tracks of Cogne (i.e. World Cups and European Cups) and the town is well equipped with all the necessary facilities.
The race will take place on the meadow of S. Orso, with a mass start, 15 km men and 10 km ladies, free technique.
Always in Cogne, there will be the Orienteering competition: according to this sport, the athletes have to follow a special course characterized by points called “lanterns”, using the cross-country skiing technique; the only helpful objects they can use are a compass and a topographic map on a small-scale containing information on the way to cover.
The way consists of the start, the check points shown by circles (corresponding to the lanterns to find) which are joined by lines and characterized by numbers indicating the covering order, and the arrival point. The place is indicated by a lantern put on the ground. Somebody records the passage at the lantern and the intermediate times. The track among the different indicated points is delineated by the “orienteering person”.

COURMAYEUR: Indoor Sport Climbing and Short Track. Climbing began on natural rocks and has far-off mountaineering roots; afterwards, as it didn’t need big mountain walls, it developed on the numerous cliffs abandoned by alpinists, but equipped and improved for those new climbers. The aim of indoor sport climbers is to pass more and more difficult rock tracks, without the aid of any artificial means. The main rule of this sport is to win the wall “by fair means”. The race will last two days: the first one for qualifications and the second one for the finals.
The indoor sport climbing competitions will take place on an artificial facility in the town, in the Courmayeur Forum Sport Centre,  and not on outside rocks.

GRESSONEY-SAINT-JEAN: alpine skiing ladies (giant slalom and slalom). The district of Weissmatten in Gressoney-Saint-Jean offers, this year, a nice surprise to lovers of alpine skiing: in November they have finished to prepare the slope, now homologated for international competitions of slalom and giant slaloms and dedicated to the unforgettable champion Leonardo David.

FLASSIN: ski mountaineering. It will take place into the suggestive ledge of mountains characterizing the area which  host this fascinating and very hard performance. The track has two climbs  with a difference in altitude of 1700 metres, from the deep valley of Citrin to the Valletta Peak and then to the Flassin Peak: the last stretch is on foot, to come down to the finishing line into the deep valley of Flassin.

PILA: alpine skiing men (giant slalom and slalom). The slopes develop between 1.800 and 2.700 metres above sea level. In this alpine resort, love for tracks is a real worship: the slopes are prepared every day with attention and passion, and they are a real proud for the district. Pila has one of the most modern and advanced systems for producing artificial snow: the pumping room has been recently increased, with 400 snow cannons put until 2.600 metres above sea level, able to cover 60% of the tracks.
Some slopes in Pila are homologated for international competitions. They are unique tracks, able to excite athletes and skiers.
Gorraz (3 kilometres on skirama) is homologated for international slalom competitions.
Du Bois (2 km on skirama) is homologated in the final part for international speed competitions.
Bellevue (10 km on skirama), thanks to the connection with the track Du Lac (12 km on skirama), offers a long track of Super G., a great interest for expert skiers, and a breathtaking view over the “four thousand metre-mountains” of Aosta Valley.

STATEMENTS FROM THE TOP BRASS OF THE ORGINIZING COMMITTEE

The President of the Region, Augusto Rollandin, has declared: “organizing and hosting the first edition of the most important Winter military sport event is, for the Aosta Valley, a privilege; we are proud of such an event, which enhances love for sport and mountain, common feelings of the inhabitants of this region, and highlights the traditional presence of the alpine troops on our territory, together with soldiers who have particularly distinguished themselves into national and international Winter military competitions”.

The CISM President, General Gianni Gola, has congratulated the organizers and the regional authorities on the excellent progress of the preparatory works: “I appreciate very much the strong involvement of the young athletes of the local ski clubs, to whom we will offer the opportunity of  racing in a special competition during the Games; I also notice with satisfaction, how ahead is the awareness campaign among the students of the Aosta Valley about an event, which is not only a sport, but even a big peace demonstration. Moreover, we have to remember the armed forces as one of the most important formative areas for the Winter sports, from where worthy athletes have honoured the Italian colours with Olympic medals and rainbow titles.”

The O.C. President, Luigi Roth, has underlined:
“The Winter Military World Games are a big opportunity for the regional territory, which is ready to host a big international event: the military values and the culture of tourist welcome of the Aosta Valley will complement each other. The Organizing Committee has assembled the regional experiences and organization abilities with the proficiency of the Armed Forces, in order to make the First Winter Military World Games a good example for the future editions. Besides the sport competitions, we are also working for creating a programme of  side events, to involve a great number of spectators.”