The International Army Games is an annual international military sports event organized by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Russia. The event, which was first staged in August 2015, involves close to 30 countries taking part in dozens of competitions over two weeks to prove which is the most skilled.[2] The games have been referred to as the War Olympics.[3] In addition to the competition, the International Army Games includes a military theme park, a recruitment station, and souvenir shops.[4]
History
Participant countries of the 2019 International Army Games
2015 International Army Games - Took place in Russia from August 1–15, 2015.[5]
2016 International Army Games - Took place from July 30 to August 13, 2016. 3,500 servicemen from 19 states fought in 23 competitions.[6]
2017 International Army Games - Was held from July 29 to August 12 in 5 countries: Russia, China, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. During the games 28 international competitions were held, including 5 new ones.
2018 International Army Games - Was held from July 28 to August 11, 2018. The competitions were held in Armenia and Iran for the first time. Teams from Algeria, Vietnam, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Sudan and the Philippines also took part in the games for the first time.[7]
2019 International Army Games - Was planned to be organized in 32 disciplines hosted in 10 countries starting on August 3, 2019 in Korla.[8] Russia, India, China, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Iran, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are the countries hosting it. India hosted and won Stage 2 of the games, known as the 5th International Army Scout Masters Competition. Uzbekistan came second and Russia fourth.[9]
2020 International Army Games- Was held from August 22 to September 5, 2020. Russia won the competition while Belarus was second and Uzbekistan was third.[10][11]
2021 International Army Games- Was held from August 22 to September 4, 2021.
Editions
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Greece was the only NATO member state that has officially participated in the games. Since 2020, three largely-unrecognised countries have participated.
Russian groups in opening and closing ceremonies
Members of the ensemble during the closing ceremony of the International Army Games in 2020.
