Charlotte to host 2027 Military World Summer Games

Following a landmark decision from the board of directors, the 8th International Military Sports Council (CISM) Military World Summer Games 2027 will occur in Charlotte. This year will mark the first time the unique event will be held in the United States, bringing global attention and economic revenue to the Tar Heel State. 

“We are honored to bring the CISM Military World Summer Games to the United States for the first time,” Colonel Nilton Rolim, CISM president, said in a press release. “Charlotte’s outstanding sporting facilities, organizational expertise, and commitment to the values of CISM make it the ideal host for this historic event.”

The games are held every four years, one year before the Olympics. This event is not affiliated with the Olympics and is also different from the FISU World University Games, which will be held in the Research Triangle in 2029. 

“It is an event that is based on the CISM and Olympic spirit, without political, religious and racial consideration nor discrimination,” according to the website. “Furthermore, it must be organised in a dignified manner.” 

This announcement follows a decision made by the CISM board of directors on March 29. It marks the return of the games following an eight-year hiatus since they were hosted in 2019 in Wuhan, China. 

According to a report by Axios, the US Department of Defense signed the games over to be run by Charlotte’s local organizing committee, which includes state and local agencies and the US Performance Center (USPC). 

“A lot of people don’t even know these games exist,” David Koerner, co-founder and co-owner of USPC, told Axios. Koerner founded USPC along with Ike Belk, and both are local organizing committee members.  

“The citizens of North Carolina are all going to benefit from the massive sports tourism money coming into our state,” Belk told Axios. “This, for me, was a dream (which sometimes seemed like a battle!), but we are heartened by the way all parties came together to make this a reality.”

Almost 10,000 military athletes from 100 CISM member nations will compete at the highest level across 25 different sports in the 2027 summer games, according to the organizers. The games serve as a unique platform showcasing the exceptional skills, discipline, and teamwork of military personnel from across the globe while fostering unity and friendship through sports.  

“There is indeed no better meaningful and beautiful message of peace than the one sent to the world by the representatives of more than one hundred Armed forces,” CISM said, in a statement on their website. “Those who had seemed to be forever divided by ideological and political barriers came together under the CISM flag in the name of friendship.”

CISM said they chose Charlotte thanks to its exceptional sports infrastructure, proven track record in organizing international sporting events, and its strategic role as a premier destination for sports tourism. The city features world-class venues, including the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex, the US National Whitewater Center, and various other cutting-edge sports facilities. These locations will accommodate a wide range of competitions, spanning traditional Olympic sports like athletics, swimming, and basketball, as well as military-specific events, such as the military pentathlon, parachuting, naval pentathlon, lifesaving, and shooting.

The Birth Of The GAmes

Just after WWI, General John J. Pershing, an American general who commanded the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), organized the first interallied games. In 1919, 1,500 athletes representing 18 nations across five continents competed in 24 sports in Joinville, a suburb of Paris. After WWII, the Allied Forces Sports Council was reborn, and the second interallied games were held in 1946 in Berlin. 

“Only athletics competitions were organized,” according to the website. “The desire to meet among soldiers was stronger than the need to produce striking sports achievements at all costs.” 

The Allied Forces Sports Council was extinguished in 1947 but was reborn the following year as CISM and continued to grow as countries joined in subsequent years. During a fencing event in Nice, France, CISM was founded by Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands on Feb. 18, 1948. The military had long desired to meet in sports arenas rather than battlegrounds. Argentina and Egypt joined in 1950, followed by the United States in 1951. In 1952, Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon, and Syria joined, followed by Brazil in 1954. The fall of the Berlin Wall accelerated the expansion of CISM, with 31 new countries joining between 1991-95.

The first CISM Military World Summer Games were held in 1995 in Rome. CISM has grown to 133 member nations with countless world and continental champions. CISM has become one of the world’s most prominent sports institutions. 

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