12th CISM Futsal Cup For Peace – Sarajevo (BIH) – Opening Ceremony

SARAJEVO (BIH) - CISM President Colonel Hervé Piccirillo, CISM Secretary General Colonel Dorah Mamby Koita and the following personalities attended the Opening Ceremony of the 12th CISM Futsal Cup For Peace which is currently taking place in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina from 26 September to 1 October: Mr. Sifet Podžić, Minister of Defence of Bosnia & Herzegovina; Mr. Mirko Okolić, Deputy Minister of Defence of Bosnia & Herzegovina; Major General Ivica Jerkic, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Bosnia & Herzegovina Armed Forces; Major General Gojko Knežević, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Bosnia & Herzegovina Armed Forces; Major General Radovan Ilić, Operations Command Commander; Brigadier General Mirsad Ahmić, Inspector General of the Bosnia & Herzegovina Ministry of Defence; Brigadier Rusmir Mrkovićk, Deputy Support Command; Brigadier Emir Kliko, 5th Inf bde Commander; Commander Jasmin Čajić, Tactical support bde; Colonel Davor Kirali, Defence Attache of Croatia; Colonel Danko Štrbac, Defence Attache of Serbia; Mr. Ekrem Ebibi, Ambassador of North Macedonia; Brigadier-General Eric Folkestad, NATO HQ SA Commander.

In his speech, the CISM President presented his sincere thanks to M. Sifet Podzic, Minister of Defense of Bosnia & Herzegovina, and to Colonel Kemal Suljevic, Chief of the Bosnia & Herzegovina Delegation to CISM for their presence and for organizing the 12th CISM Futsal Cup for Peace.

CISM President also added: " Since 2007, year of entry in CISM, Bosnia Herzegovia has played an important role in its development and its influence in the Balkan region and beyond the borders of Europe. The Bosnia Herzegovinia has been active with the organization of 51th World Military Skiing Championships in 2011, and been present at more than 30 CISM sporting events. I would also like to thank the military delegations of Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Croatia for being here. By your presence, you demonstrate your attachment to CISM and your desire to resume the path of military sport. In a world affected by armed conflicts, it is our common duty to create new types of bridges among people, to renew relationships and links which had been eroded by wars."

"Because military sport breaks the barriers of languages, because military sport does not allow any kind of discrimination linked to race, gender or religion, because military sport unites all generations, I truly believe that CISM offers a response to the international aspiration for peace. Today, the real meaning of military sport is linked to the growing importance of multinational military cooperation for the construction of peace and security in the world. That is why, beyond sporting success, the 12th futsal cup will also be an opportunity to share CISM values and promote peace and stability in the world."

CISM President also emphasized the importance of Gender Equality within CISM: "Since its creation, CISM has supported the development of women's sport and women's access to leadership positions. All military competitions are inclusive, open to women, and can propose mixed gender’s team. There is also a very active gender’s commission within CISM. This desire to include women in our politics stems from our unique military status and the common values we share. That’s why, I fully agree and support the proposal to start from the next year, a regional female Futsal competition in which women's teams from the region will compete against each others."

"The reconstruction of our wounded Soldiers through sport is an integral part of military sport policy in CISM because it concerns each and every one of us. Our soldiers are young. We collectively have a responsibility in spreading military values among these young people: discipline, commitment, team spirit and tolerance.", ended Colonel Piccirillo

Based on the initiative taken by the former CISM Secretary General, Colonel Michel Van Meurs, the Futsal Cup for Peace is Sport & Peace Event that gathers each year the former Republics of Yugoslavia: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.

The CISM President Colonel Hervé Piccirillo also met Mr. Sifet Podžić, Minister of Defence of Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Finally, the first competitions also started on September 28 with the CISM President giving the kick-off of the first game of the tournament between Croatia and Montenegro.

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(Source: CISM Media & Communication Department)