International athletes arrive in Ecuador for 2014 World Cadet Games

According to the press director of the Ecuadoran Armed Forces, Arturo Velasco, delegations from 21 of 25 participating nations were already in the South American country by early Friday to compete in the second edition of the games organized by the International Military Sports Council (CISM), Xinhua reports.

"Most of the delegations arrived yesterday, we know that three delegations are about to arrive today and another will arrive Saturday," Velasco told a Xinhua reporter. The cadets will compete in six sports, including volleyball, athletics, swimming and shooting, starting Saturday, following an inauguration ceremony in the southwest coastal city of Guayaquil, presided by Ecuadoran Defense Minister Maria Fernanda Espinoza. The objective of the games "is to strengthen socio-cultural exchange between nations," said Velasco. Ecuador was chosen to host this year's games by the CISM, considered the world's second largest sporting organization, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The first games were held in Ankara, Turkey in 2010, but "they didn't have the attendance expected," said Velasco, adding some 1, 200 cadets will be competing this year. Among the participating countries are Germany, the Netherlands, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Venezuela, Estonia, Finland, Kuwait, Denmark, Turkey, Qatar, Russia, Sri Lanka, Macedonia, Suriname, Kazakhstan, Lithuania and Mali. As many as 85 Ecuadoran cadets might compete in the games, said Velasco.