News
Opening Ceremony
The 68th Military World Championship in Military Pentathlon was officially opened with a ceremony in the inner courtyard of Wiener Neustadt Castle.
Having previously hosted the event in 1973, 1978, 1986, 1996, 2006, 2016, and most recently in 2018, Wiener Neustadt is hosting the championship for the seventh time in total, making it the record-holding host city. The Theresian Military Academy, in cooperation with the Armed Forces Sports Center, is responsible for organizing the competition in accordance with the rules of the International Military Sports Council (CISM). The sports facilities and other infrastructure on the MilAk campus provide optimal conditions for the event.
74 male and 38 female athletes from 17 nations, accompanied by a total of 61 support staff and the organizing team, gathered in the castle courtyard for the opening ceremony. The Deputy Academy Commandant, Brigadier Franz Hollerer, welcomed the World Championship participants to the Military Academy and on behalf of the city of Wiener Neustadt, wishing all the athletes a safe and fair competition.
The 67th World Military Pentathlon Championship took place in Halmstad, Sweden, in 2023. Accordingly, at the start of the opening ceremony, the Swedish delegation carried the CISM flag into the castle courtyard and handed it over to Austria. The flag was then raised to the strains of the CISM anthem, performed by the Burgenland Military Band under the direction of Military Bandmaster Colonel Johann Kausz.
On behalf of all the athletes, a Brazilian competitor recited the “Athletes’ Code of Ethics,” after which the official CISM representative, Colonel Christian Hess from Switzerland, declared the 68th World Military Pentathlon Championship open.
