Hungarians Defend Their Champion Trophy

In spite of the respectable efforts made by the six teams of the nations participating in the mission – the United Kingdom, Argentina, Slovakia – the competitors of the Hungarian contingent – Capt. Levente Szilágyi, Lt. Nándor Major, WO Zsolt Miseta, SFC János Kovács, SFC Szabolcs Oláh, CPL Anita Arnót, CPL Zsolt Reznicsek and CPL Gábor Szigeti – ensured that the symbol of the Cyprus peacekeepers’ most recognized sports event does not leave the Hungarian camp in Athienou.

The teams entering this year’s competition encountered a number of problems. Announced originally for May, the event was postponed several times, which presented an even greater challenge to the participants as the training for the competition requires special daily routine and lifestyle. Nearing the end of the preparation period, the organizers of the sports event decided to abandon the practice of earlier s years and replaced the military obstacle course, the map-reading and the opposing forces stations with other tasks to test the adaptability of the teams. This year’s events included a 7km run in formation and BDU, with 96kg of equipment per team. Moreover, the team members had to cover one-third of the distance carrying a 30kg log. For many, this early morning “jogging" was perhaps the most memorable experience of the Military Skills Competition.

The start for all competitors was at 05:00 at dawn, surrounded by supporters flying national flags and chanting for their teams, followed by all-terrain vehicles playing a wide repertoire of inspiring music at sunrise on the runway of the former Nicosia international airport. To tackle the tasks that followed, the teams rotated one another at different sites. The challenges to be completed included a test of driving skills, with part of the driving to be carried out blindfolded on the basis of verbal instructions. The participants had to convince the umpires of the high level of their operational first aid skills during a simulated car accident. The control task provided the team members with excellent opportunities to show their cooperative and command skills. Soldiers of different nations had a chance to match one of their basic skills against each other at a target practice executed with assault rifles in service of their home countries. The last and perhaps most anticipated challenge was the relay swimming in a heat of nearly 35 degrees Celsius, which they had to complete in BDUs.

The umpires ranked the teams by their total scores at the competition. The highest possible result was 600 scores, of which the Hungarian team obtained 510, achieving the first placing with the maximum 100 scores in three events. During the preparation, most teams focused on physical training but successful participation required mental training too, on which the Hungarian team laid great emphasis as well.

Capt. Levente Szilágyi, Lt. Nándor Major, CPL Anita Arnót and CPL Gábor Szigeti dared to dream large, as they had already been participating in the victory a year earlier too. UNFICYP Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Kristin Lund personally presented the award for the first place to the winners, and congratulated them for the second victory in a row.