Tri-Servicemen Join CISM Run in Their Hundreds

The International Military Sport Council (CISM) Day Run - 2018 was flagged off at the Galle Face Green Colombo and ended near the Defence Services College at Colombo 02 on Sunday (18) where Secretary of Defence, Mr Kapila Waidyaratne PC attended the inauguration of the event as the Chief Guest.

Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne, Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, Commander of the Army, Navy and Air Force Commanders and the incumbent President of the Defence Services Sports Board, Major General Amal Karunasekara, Chief of Staff of the Army, Major General Anura Sudasinghe, Director General of Army Sports, Senior Navy and Air Force officers took the lead in the run.

A few hundreds of personnel from all three services participated in the ‘CISM Day Run’ which covered a distance of about 2 km in Colombo.

Founded on 18 February 1948, the International Military Sport Council / 'Conseil International du Sport Militaire' (CISM) which organizes various sporting events for the armed forces of 135 member countries, brings together military personnel from all nations, who may previously have met on the battlefield, to meet in friendship on the playing field.

This is in accordance with the philosophy and the ideals which were set in CISM’s mission statement in 1998, signed by all the member countries. The ultimate goal of CISM is to contribute to world peace by uniting armed forces through sports, achieving its motto, “Friendship through Sport”.

The apex of the ceremony reached as the Commander took the centre stage giving away certificates of participation while extending his warm greetings to attendees particularly to the Secretary Defence.

During interaction with wheel-chair ridden athletes soon after the awarding ceremony, the Secretary Defence and the Commander took time off to share a few thoughts.

A few entertaining features, presented by artistes of the Directorate of Performing Arts, added colour to the conclusion of the CISM Run - 2018.

Officers of the tri-forces, Other Ranks were also present during the event.