Samba dancers from Brazil sent the temperature soaring as curtains came down on the 4th Military World Games at the GMC Balayogi Stadium here on Sunday night.
After seven days of action that brought the armed forces of more than 100 nations together in the sporting fields of Hyderabad, Union Defence Minister A K Antony declared the Games closed, after a malfunctioning microphone held him up for a while.
Spectacular fireworks and magical hands on drums brought the four-hour show alive late after a lacklustre beginning. The performance by the Brazilians added sparkle then before percussionist wizard Sivamani and his ensemble brought a thunderous finale to the ceremony.
Brazil to host
The hosts of the next Games in 2011, Brazil have captivated the world over the years thanks to soccer and samba. Their soccer team failed to set the Games alight, crashing out well before the medal rounds, but their dancers did not disappoint in a brief presentation.
The Indian segment, however, was largely disappointing. Isha Sherwani's performance on the rope did draw gasps of appreciation from the stands and it was left to Sivamani to raise the tempo with his incredible skills on the drums.
Earlier, the flag of CISM, the international military sports council, was lowered and handed over by Major General V K Ahluwalia to Brigadier General Luis Antonio Pinto Machado, the head of the Brazilian delegation, even as the flame was slowly extinguished, with Hyderabad bidding farewell to Bravo, the mascot of the Games.
His was an enthusiastic presence in every arena of Hyderabad, largely ruled by the Russians. They have topped the medals tally at every Miltary World Games and it was no different here, though the Chinese did come close.
Russia ended with a tally of 42 gold medals with swimming (13) and wrestling (10) accounting for a big share of that total. The Chinese sounded a warning to the Russians, garnering 11 gold from the pool and nine from shooting for a total of 38 gold.
India, in contrast, had a more modest tally of two gold, one silver and seven bronze medals. But coming from a competition that featured some strong contingents from around the world, it was a praiseworthy effort. More than their performance, however, it was their support to the military sports movement that drew praise.
“A strong message of peace and brotherhood has been sent to the world by Hyderabad and Mumbai,” acknowledged Brigadier General Gianni Gola, President of the international military sports council, in his speech. “Bravo, in my language, means well done. So I say, bravo Hyderabad,” added the Italian, looking forward to the next event in Brazil, four years from now.
