The Hungarian defence minister ran 3,200m and is very proud on his achievement – VIDEO
Sport is all about friendship and belonging, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the defence minister, said on Friday, marking the anniversary of the founding of the International Military Sports Council (CISM).
CISM was established on February 18, 1948 by Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands with the aim of fostering peace and international cooperation and promoting sport and a healthy lifestyle, with the motto Friendship through Sport.
The minister, speaking before a commemorative run held at the BHSE sports centre, said this idea also took hold in Hungary, adding that soldiers best showed friendship and a sense of belonging through playing sports together.
Soldiers of CISM member countries as well as military administrators and members of army sports associations since 2006 have marked the anniversary of the sports council by running together.
Hungary’s armed forces joined the run in 2015, and now Szalay-Bobrovniczky and fellow senior ministry and army officials joined Hungarian Olympic medalists in completing the run.
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Here is the video in which he said that running 2,000 metres before alone was a bigger challenge for him:
Developing Hungary’s armed forces ‘a must’
Hungary’s armed forces must be developed to a level that it enables defending the country, if need be, the defence minister told a business conference in Budapest on Friday.
Addressing the Hungarian Business Leaders Forum 24, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said the development process is under way in the defence industry, including an upgrade of arms, infrastructure and military staff.
Giving an outline of development projects, the minister noted the “huge progress” made in all military branches. He noted “a qualitative generational change” in the country’s air defence capabilities which he said “have been brought to a top-notch level”.
The next task is to set up a heavy brigade which is a NATO requirement, he said, noting Hungary’s pledge to establish a substantial ground armoured force by 2028.