International military sports

In 1948, the Netherlands, together with Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Denmark, established the military sports organisation Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM).

The CISM promotes international military sports events. These events engender friendship between military personnel from various nations under the banner of ‘Friendship through Sports’.

Worldwide, approximately 1 million military personnel take part in international military sports at the highest level. They do this in addition to the military physical training they undergo for their jobs. Dutch soldiers compete against the best military sportsmen from other countries at international military championships.