By Lai Yuhong, Tian Dingyu and Zhang Zhihua
BEIJING, Aug. 24 -- The International Army Games 2020 (IAG 2020) kicked off on August 23, local time. This is the seventh consecutive year that Chinese troops have gone abroad to participate in this competition. Our reporter interviewed Major General Alexander Peryazev, Deputy Chief of the General Department of Combat Training under the Russian Armed Forces and Chief Referee of the IAG 2020 at the event briefing held in Russia on the evening of August 20, local time.
Question: The Chinese military has participated in IAG for many years. What is your impression of the performance of the Chinese military over the years?
Answer: I think that Chinese soldiers are respectable opponents in all competitions they participate in. They are highly disciplined. They have demonstrated a high degree of professionalism, and are regarded as role models for the Russian army. The competitions held in China are well organized, including the competition facilities, the fulfillment of competition requirements and the training support for participants. Judging from their awards and rankings, the participating military members are very strong opponents.
Question: Under the special circumstances in which the global pandemic risk is still high this year, the Chinese military continues to go to Russia to participate in IAG. How do you feel about this?
Answer: I would like to express my gratitude for your support, and also the support of the other over 30 countries participating in the competitions. All countries are very earnest in preparing for the competition and preventing and controlling the pandemic, such as complying with the quarantine rule before the team members arrive in Russia. The various measures taken by China and us will surely yield positive results.
Question: Could you please brief us on the overall situation of this year's competition?
Answer: A total of 156 teams from 32 countries participate in the competitions this year. The competitions will be held in five countries including Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
The competitions, including those held in several other countries, have more than 5,000 participants. Different contests require different equipment. For example, the Aviadarts contest will involve drones, and the Sea Cup contest will use ships. Some other competitions use tanks, armored vehicles, etc.
We Russian army have professionals in various respects, and every game is supported by technical personnel to ensure the smooth progress of the competition in Russia. Just like in previous years, the Chinese side held the part of the IAG in Korla with a high level of preparation and guarantee work. I believe that working with China, Russia will be able to present a wonderful competition.
Question: As the big centerpiece of the IAG, what are the difficulties in the preparation of this year's Tank Biathlon contest, and what are your expectations for this year's competition?
Answer: The results of the Tank Biathlon contest are getting better and better every year. It unbelievable that the competition equipment could achieve such good results in speed, mobility and shooting.
Every year, the players whoever has higher professional quality, whoever is more tenacious, and whose equipment is more dependable will win. This shows that not only the tank team, but other support personnel also need to coordinate and stimulate morale to ensure that the team members complete their tasks well.
The environment of the Tank Biathlon event is very complicated and the weather is changeable. But in any case, the competitions are always intense. It is normal to encounter difficulties in organizing the event. Like the Chinese side, this is the daily combat training of our troops.
During the preparation, the participating team members must fully prepare for the competition, with the maintenance personnel taking care of the equipment and the engineering troops keeping eyes on the competition venue. Everyone performs his duty. These works all belong to the daily training content for participating countries.
Question: Could you please introduce the measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic in this competition and the forces devoted to this aspect?
Answer: First of all, Russian side will communicate the pandemic prevention requirements to everyone together with all competition organizers. Relevant anti-pandemic measures are strictly implemented at the competition venue.
Russia will try its best to prevent too much contact between the participating teams, members and the audience. The camp, canteen, and equipment storage place will be disinfected regularly. The training grounds like Alabino will also adopt the same sanitation and pandemic prevention measures.
