At the opening, participants and spectators were greeted by the head of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Sports Club, Colonel Arturas Jasinskas, the chief of staff of the Grand Duke Butigeidis Dragoon Battalion, Major Marius Magyla, and the head of the French Army sports delegation, Lieutenant Gabrielle Colcombet.
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After the official opening of the tournament, team representatives and soldiers honored the memory of Col. Lt. R. Baltušis by laying flowers at the memorial stone in the Dragoon Battalion.
At the traditional international tournament, Klaipėda’s “Dragūnas” triumphed. The Lithuanian champions did not lose a single match: they defeated Kaunas “Granitas-Karys” 35:26, the French Army handball club 33:21, crushed Riga ASK (Latvia) 47:23, and in the decisive battle for first place, they overcame the SK “Tapa” team (Estonia) 30:28.
The best players of the teams were chosen as Gintas Greikšas (Riga ASK), Simas Butkus (“Granitas-Karys”), Donatas Dulkys (“Dragūnas”), Kasparas Parjusas (SK “Tapa”) and Luca Depalma (French Army handball club).
“By organizing this tournament, we honor the memory of the first commander of the Dragoon Battalion, Rimantas Baltušis. The officer was one of the first to introduce NATO military culture and combat standards in the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Moreover, we provide an opportunity for soldiers from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and France who play handball to compete with each other and prepare for the upcoming season.
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Both mentioned goals are connected by the responsibility to defend the state and the honor of the team. It is also pleasing that young soldier-handball players, who become players of their national teams, played and are playing in the tournament,” said the head of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Sports Club, A. Jasinskas.
The winning “Dragūnas” handball players received a trophy made from a used 105 mm cartridge case. This unique trophy, established by the Lithuanian Armed Forces, was awarded for the first time in the history of this tournament. By the way, the decisive tournament matches were watched by the French defense attaché to Lithuania and Latvia, Colonel Geoffroy Desrousseaux de Medrano, who gave the start to the last matches and congratulated the winners and the French sports delegation.
Sports in the military develop the physical and psychological qualities necessary to carry out military tasks and strengthen team spirit.
