Arriving to represent four countries, the participants in military Winter Survival 2010 championships were welcomed by beautiful sunny weather to the highest mountains of Moravia and Silesia. Snow conditions are optimum there while the temperature remains below the freezing point during day. The meteorologists forecast more snowfall and freezing in the following days which will mean a hard test of athletes' physical and mental strength.
The championships office registered 14 home and 4 international teams on Sunday 31 January to start for the four-day endurance competition arranged and supported by the University of Defence. Within the Army of the Czech Republic, seven teams will represent Joint Forces, while military schools have sent four teams to struggle and Support Forces two teams and Military Police one. The international teams have arrived from Belgium, Poland and Slovakia, of which two have been sent by Polish Land Forces Academy.
The first event was technical meeting for the team leaders to learn competition rules, arrangements including jury members who is in charge of, among others, expelling teams from the competition, and to draw lot of team start numbers for the first day of competition. Then they left to get ready for the opening ceremony.
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The XVI ACR International Winter Survival championships opening ceremony started at seven PM sharp with all the military glory. The teams rolled together with the organisers for parade at the light-flooded area next to military recreation facility Ovcarna pod Pradedem
The first address to the rally of Winter Survival 2009 participants was delivered by the chief of ACR general staff – general of the army Vlastimil Picek who said winter survival was the most challenging military oriented sport event in the Czech Republic. “The extraordinarily challenging four day competition will deeply check each athlete's physical condition and stamina as well as the mental strength limits. Besides, the patrol members will have to prove the maximum level of teamwork abilities and employ a number of practical military skills as individuals cannot win but only a team,” addressed general Picek the athletes.
General of the Army Vlastimil Picek then lit the championship fire after the athletes and referees took their vows. Then the Lord of the mountains – Praded came to greet everybody with the assistance of the witches of “Petrovy kameny” Rock. This show, reflecting local traditions, was appreciated especially by the foreign participants in the competition
On Monday, eighteen teams will go running in skicross, burden transport, team downhill race and the evacuation of teammates like “injured persons” in the vicinity of Petrovy Kameny near Ovcarna pod Pradedem and on the Praded Mt. slopes. In the afternoon, the teams will move from Karlova Studanka Spa to the survival area close to Vrbno pod Pradedem and then a night orienteering race.
Text: Pavel Pazdera, WS 2010 press officer, photo: Jiří Pařízek