Military World Champs

[mharky]

How come we don't send a team?

[cbg]

We're all getting old?

No, the real reason is that we would have to join the over-arching organisation CISM (Conseil International du Sport Militaire); the cost is probably independent of the number of sports participated in. Apart from it being a French title (which may be the giveaway), UK has never been a member. The original reason may have been a suspicion of "Solidarity" but it is more likely now because we have never had a budget for it - which would probably have to be substantial to cover all the sport possibilities (the Army has 62 recognised sports at the last count). So it is not the reason why we don't have enough helicopters/ships/bullets. When younger I was of course, like others before, very keen to be paid to compete in foreign countries - we were told with a firmness that booked no discussion not to raise the subject!

There is a Combined Services (Navy, RM, Army and RAF) orienteering team. Currently we compete(?) in the BUSA Championships as the most viable competition (finishing around halfway in the field - there was a time when we were more competitive). If anyone has a bright idea for a more matched competition for M/F21 - 45, then we would be very interested.

[LostAgain]

If anyone has a bright idea for a more matched competition for M/F21 - 45, then we would be very interested.

Isn't there the Civil Service championships?
I seem to recall seeing this advertised previously.

[rocky]

How come we don't send a team?

cbg sounds like they are closer to the issue than me, but I heard recently that signing up to CISM would bring with it an obligation to host races, and the British military were reluctant to have all those suspicious looking Eastern European/Russian/French types wandering freely round whichever military base was chosen to host.

[Gross]

Think Rocky is 100% correct.... US & UK didn't want the Ruskies on their bases

[madmike]

oh no he's not

We have, however, managed to get Orienteering into the NATO Air Forces Sports Competition every other year at the expense of Cross-country running, which is a real result - a Team will be off to the Baltics next summer

[cbg]

I heard recently that signing up to CISM would bring with it an obligation to host races, and the British military were reluctant to have all those suspicious looking Eastern European/Russian/French types wandering freely round whichever military base was chosen to host.

I used to quote something similar to the first part, but it was due to the expense, not any security concerns. Howver, as there are only 20 CISM sport championships, and 133 participating countries (including USA), that commitment would not come around very often.

(I do remember being briefed by the Swedish military that they were as conscious of the western threat as that from the east - and they meant more than Denmark).

[Mr timE]

I tried very hard a few years back to be allowed to put in just an Orienteering team (the fact the event was being held in Brasil that year had nothing to do with it). The orienteering fratenity of CISM would have liked us to be there as guests, but as Charles BG says it is not allowed, the British Army would have had to sign up to all sports possibly attending and the cost of that was considered too prohibitive, as once one sport went all the others would then clamber to go. Originally the main reason we did not go to CISM was that many countries used to have their top athletes in the military doing compulsory National Service, mainly Eastern Bloc but also it included Norwegian and Swedish national squads members. The British Army has been a volunteer army since 60s, so we do not force youngsters to sign up for short periods. It would have been the equivalent of our CS squad taking on the Norwegian National Squad, a slight mis-match.

So unless BOF are prepared to start a campaign to bring back NS so the likes of GG can be signed up for a year, then we will have to stick with the University Champs rather than Brasil, Crotia, etc. Incidentally the CISM games are sometimes used as tester events for the likes of Commonwealth & Olympic games to test systems and they were held in Dehli recently for just that reason.

[Big Jon]

" Incidentally the CISM games are sometimes used as tester events for the likes of Commonwealth & Olympic games to test systems and they were held in Dehli recently for just that reason."

I guess the military don't complain when things go pear-shaped as they are used as guinea pigs!

[madmike]

" I guess the military don't complain when things go pear-shaped as they are used as guinea pigs!

Believe me Big Jon (experiece talking) they can whine and whinge like the best (worst).......