International Mönchengladbach military competition
The International Mönchengladbach Military Competition (IMM) (also "NATO Cup") is a military eventing and sports competition that has been held since November 1984 among teams from different nations. Active and reserve soldiers , police officers and firefighters as well as members of the technical relief organization and rescue services take part. The IMM is hosted today by the North Rhine-Westphalia State Command of the Bundeswehr and the Association of Reservists of the Bundeswehr , Niederrhein District Group. In Germany there is no comparable international military competition that has been taking place with this regularity for so many years and is of such great importance.
The event is supported at the highest political level, for example through greetings from the NATO Secretary General and the Federal Defense Minister, who give the IMM international recognition. The first prize of the competition is traditionally awarded by the Federal Minister of Defense .
The IMM is considered demanding. The range of tasks ranges from first aid tests, targeting exercises and orienteering to overcoming an obstacle course and specialist exercises .
Important IMM partners include the Technical Relief Organization (THW), the Mönchengladbach fire brigade, the German Red Cross and Johanniter Unfall Hilfe.
history
The IMM came about as an idea and on the initiative of some voluntary Mönchengladbach Bundeswehr reserveists under the direction of today's Colonel dR Helmut Michelis . 32 teams from six nations took part in the first IMM, at which ten to 15 teams were expected.
The first highlight of the series of events was the 10th IMM in 1993 with 79 teams from twelve nations and a public day of the armed forces at Mönchengladbach airfield with 12,000 spectators. The most moving moment in IMM history was the visit of the last delegation in the history of the National People's Army of the GDR in September 1990.
To celebrate the 20th IMM, the organizers decided against an initially planned festival in spring 2003 with a view to the Iraq war .
The anniversary of the 25th IMM took place on June 14th, 2008 together with the 25th NATO Music Festival and a public day for all authorities with security tasks around Borussia-Park in Mönchengladbach. The "IMM-Iron Fighter" trophy for the best team on an obstacle course in the stadium was presented by the commander of NATO's Joint Force Command, General Egon Ramms , in front of 18,000 spectators . For the final picture with fireworks, IMM competitors and organizers competed on the lawn together with the military bands from six nations.
The 27th competition on June 19, 2010 was once again linked to the NATO music festival and a "blue light day" organized by aid organizations on the exhibition grounds. In 2012 ten nations competed at the same time; This time soldiers from Luxembourg and Slovenia also came to the Lower Rhine for the first time. For the 30th anniversary of the event, the organizers drew the following balance: exactly 5544 competitors started, 1386 teams, 20 participating nations and, including the organizers, civil helpers, guests and spectators, far more than 55,000 people who were connected to the IMM over the three decades . Several defense ministers, NATO secretaries-general and NATO commanders-in-chief wrote greetings and donated cups and winners' plates. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer took over the patronage of the IMM in December 2019.
The 37th competition will take place on Saturday, June 6th, 2020 around the Rheydt Renaissance Castle in Mönchengladbach.