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News | April 9, 2025

CISM 2025 World Winter Military Games

By Sgt. Denis Nunez

U.S. Army Soldiers from five different states represented the U.S. Armed Forces Sports team at the 2025 CISM (Conseil International du Sport Militaire) Military World Winter Games hosted by the Swiss Military from March 23 to March 30 in Lucerne, Switzerland.

The event consisted of forty-three separate nations and over one thousand athletes competing across 8 different disciplines.

U.S. National Guard Soldiers from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Utah, and Minnesota were present to compete in biathlon, Nordic skiing, ski mountaineering, and alpine snowboarding.

On day one the Swiss Military put on a spectacle of an opening ceremony where team U.S.A. marched out with their flag hoisted proudly among many other nations.

“Friendship through Sport remains the guiding principle of CISM and we are committed to upholding this motto. In these challenging times, the bond of friendship stands as a symbol of strength and unwavering unity, reflecting the spirit of the 5th CISM Military World Winter Games under the theme Military Champions for Peace," said Maj. Gen. Germaine J.F. Seewer, Chief of International Relations Defense.

The following days consisted of incredible alpine weather, Nordic and Biathlon skiing at the Goms Nordic Centre in Geschinen, Ski Mountaineering at Oberalp Pass in Andermatt and Alpine Snowboarding at Titlis Mountain in Engelberg, Switzerland.

After a week of tremendous efforts, the team enjoyed the final closing ceremony in Lucerne where the pride and camaraderie across nations was present. Military members from all represented nations joined together for one final meal and traded national flags, pins, and patches as tokens of the time spent competing in the Swiss Alps.

Standings and scores for all events can be seen on the official CISM 2025 webpage: https://www.cism-wmc.ch/en

The official logo of the Vermont National Guard.

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