Home PageNews12/17 December 201749th WMC Swimming - Rio de Janeiro (BRA) - Update - Opening Ceremony

49th WMC Swimming – Rio de Janeiro (BRA) - Update - Opening Ceremony

 

 

RIO DE JANEIRO (BRA) – The Opening Ceremony of the 49th World Military Swimming Championship was held on December 11 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in presence of 131 athletes from 12 countries (Germany, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Iraq, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, and Ukraine). The competition will be held in the venues built for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Brazilian Air Force Sports Commission (CDA).

 

 

The championship is organized by the Ministry of Defense and Sports together with the Brazilian Military Sports Commission (CDMB) and CDA. Some famous swimmers will participate in this event such as the Russian Anton Chupkov, bronze medalist on the 200m breaststroke at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and World Champion in Budapest, the French swimmer  Marc-Antoine Olivier, bronze medalist in the 10 km open water marathon at Rio 2016 and also world champion in Budapest. Brazil will also have a strong team with the presence of Etiene Medeiros, Olympic athlete at the Rio 2016 OG and World Champion on 50m backstroke in Budapest and João Luiz Gomes, silver medalist in 100m breaststroke in Budapest and 5th place at the Rio 2016. Both athletes are Brazilian Air Force sergeants who belong to the High Performance Program, a partnership between the Ministry of Defense and Sports.

 

 

The Opening Ceremony was attended by the Colonel (Rtd) Water Van Velthoven, Official CISM Representative, Treasurer General and Member of the Bod, Lieutenant-Colonel Heiko Wömpener, PCSC Swimming, Air Force General Ricardo Machado, Secretary of Staff, Health and Sports of the Ministry of Defense, Vice Admiral Marine Paulo Martino Zuccaro, President of the Brazilian Sports Commission, Vice Admiral Roberto Godim Carneiro Da Cunha, Chief of Staff of Navy Operations Command, Lieutenant General José Isaías Augusto de Carvalho Neto, Commandant of the Brazilian Air Force University, Major General José Jorge De Medeiros Garcia, President of the Brazilian Air Force Sports Commission and Colonel Water Van Velthoven, Official CISM Representative.

 

 

The OCR Colonel Walter Van Velthoven highlighted the importance of this event in order to develop the spirit of friendship through sport: “Today and during the week, more than 130 athletes from 12 nations will participate in this sports event, demonstrating the notorious spirit of friendship and solidarity that connects all CISM member countries”.

 

 

During his speech, the Vice Admiral Marine Paulo Martino Zuccaro evoked the challenge of hosting a competition of this caliber: “The organization of such a significant sports competition is the result of the collaboration between people and institutions who, considering the importance of this event, gave actively supported and contributed to the implantation of this event that gathers twelve high quality delegations, which stand in front of us at this moment”.

 

 

The competitions started yesterday, December 12, and will end on Friday 15. The access to the competition is free and open to the public. The qualification heats will be held in the CDA Olympic swimming pool while the finals will be held at 5 p.m. and will be transmitted online on the FAB Facebook page.

For more information about the 49th WMC Swimming, check the OC Official Website.

The 49th World Military Swimming Championship is available in livestreaming on the Força Aérea Brasileira Facebook Page.

 

 

Information Bulletin 1

 

All the pictures are available on the CISM Flickr Account.

 

(Source: OC Website)

(Pictures: Eddy Kellens, CISM Photographer)

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