On the morning of August 3, the opening ceremony of the "International Military Games 2019" was held at Patriot Park on the outskirts of Moscow. Photo by Wu Xu

People's Daily Online, Beijing, August 4th. On the morning of August 3rd, local time, the "International Military Competition-2019" held an opening ceremony at Patriot Park on the outskirts of Moscow, the Russian capital, and the fierce competition officially began.

The International Military Competition is a comprehensive international competition held by the armed forces units and representative teams of participating countries. The purpose of holding international competitions is to strengthen military cooperation among the defense departments of participating countries in creating a peaceful society and promoting mutual trust between military departments, enhance the professionalism of military personnel, cultivate patriotic sentiments among young people, and enhance the prestige of military service. Since its inception, this event has attracted more and more attention from countries, attracted more and more countries to participate, and has become more and more influential. It has become an important brand of military exchanges and cooperation and an important platform for the militaries of various countries to enhance friendship and learn from each other. Our army has gone abroad to participate in international military competitions for six consecutive years since 2014, and has hosted some international military competitions in China for three consecutive years since 2017.

On the 3rd, white clouds were floating in the Patriot Park on the outskirts of Moscow, the breeze was blowing, military flags were hunting, and military music was playing. A variety of weapons and equipment such as tanks, artillery missiles, armored vehicles, etc. were displayed around the venue. A promotional video for the event was played on the big screen, as well as scenes of welcoming the participating teams to the training ground and the participating teams actively preparing for the competition. The scene was filled with a strong atmosphere of peace, friendship, hard work, and forge ahead.

The opening ceremony is here, and Russian artists performed wonderful cultural programs at the opening ceremony. Photo by Wu Xu

At 10:45, the host announced that the opening ceremony had officially begun. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a video speech that day that this year, the international military competition is held for the fifth time. This annual competition brings together service members from all over the world and has become a tradition and holiday. This competition not only showcases modern equipment but also demonstrates the friendship between the parties involved.

Putin emphasized that the form of international military competitions contributes to the development of international cooperation and the consolidation of constructive partnerships, aiming to ensure the security of relevant countries, Eurasia and the world, and to respond to existing threats to global stability.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attended the opening ceremony that day and said that Russia’s decision to host an international military competition five years ago was correct. This event has become a major global event, attracting more attention and participation every year.

Major General Qian Zehong, leader of the command team for the Army’s overseas competition, and members of the command team, as well as Major General Wei Yanwei, the defense attache of the Chinese Embassy in Russia, attended the opening ceremony.

Amidst the solemn military music, and under the eager gaze of people of different skin colors and eyes of different colors, Russian soldiers of honor guided the national flags of each participating country into the venue one by one. When the bright five-star red flag entered the venue escorted by four Chinese flag bearers, there was warm applause.

The opening ceremony is here, and the Russian military band performed wonderfully at the opening ceremony. Photo by Wu Xu

At 11:22, the solemn military music played again, and the international military competition flag slowly rose.

The reporter learned that compared with the past, this year’s competition has new features. The number of countries hosting the competition has increased from 7 last year, including China, Russia, Belarus, Iran, Armenia, and Kazakhstan, to 10. Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and India are hosting the competition for the first time this year. The number of participating teams has increased to 223 teams from more than 30 countries. The number of competition events has been expanded from 28 last year to 32, and a winter competition event was set up for the first time. The competition was held from August 3 to 17 at 21 training venues in 10 countries. This year, China was hosted by the Army in Korla, Xinjiang and participated in four competitions: "Suvorov Assault" infantry fighting vehicle crew, "Clear Sky" portable air defense missile team, "Ordnance Expert" weapons repair and "Safe Environment" nuclear, biological and chemical reconnaissance teams. At the same time, the Army, Navy, and Air Force teams went to 5 countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, India, and Iran to participate in 11 competitions, and the Army team went to 2 countries, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, to observe 2 competitions. This year, our military sent a team to participate in the "Deep Sea" diver competition for the first time, sent a team to India and Iran for the first time, and for the first time the Air Force and Navy jointly formed a team to participate in the "Aviation Dart" aviation crew competition.

The competition has a total of 2,850 medals and 33 trophies.

At the opening ceremony, a wonderful cultural program was performed, and the Russian military band gave a wonderful performance. In the first cycling race of the "Tank Biathlon" held after the opening ceremony, the Chinese team's artillery and machine gun rounds were all hit, and in the shortest time, they won the first place in the group and got a "good start" in the competition. According to the schedule, the closing ceremony will be held at Patriot Park on August 17, Moscow time. (Wu Xu Yin Qingwen)