Wuhan, the capital city of central China's Hubei Province, said goodbye to the 7th International Military Sports Council (CISM) Military World Games, the first international military multi-sport event held in China, with a closing ceremony on Sunday night.

The quadrennial military gala, held from October 18 to 27, has attracted the largest numbers of athletes and sports disciplines in history, nearly 10,000 soldiers from 109 nations.

Ten days of competition saw a total of 1,021 medals – 316 golds, 316 silvers and 389 bronzes – given to athletes from the participating countries. The host China led the medal table with 239 medals, followed by Russia, Brazil, Poland and France.

Besides athletes from participating nations, multiple sports and political figures attended the closing ceremony, including Col. Dorah Mamby Koita, Secretary General of the International Military Sports Council (CISM), Col. Hervé Piccirillo, President of the CISM, General Xu Qiliang, Vice Chairman of Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China, and Sun Chunlan, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China.

After all the athlete representatives entered the stadium, the Fair Play Award of the Military World Games was given to Team France for good sportsmanship, fair play, dedication, and in recognition of their great contribution in promoting the ideals and values of CISM.

The award presentation was followed by a series of entertainment acts.

In "Chime Ringing Above the Sky," The zenghouyi chime, guqin (the ancient Chinese zither) and other Chinese traditional musical instruments with local features were intertwined, presenting the music "Lofty Mountains and Flowing Water," which tells the touching story of seeking friends with music, and expresses how Wuhan people value their affections towards friends.

In "Friendship through Sport," men and women in uniform from all over the world expressed their sincerest blessings with the song Auld Lang Syne for everlasting friendship.

After the excellent programs, the CSIM President Piccirillo gave a speech in which he praised the remarkable work done by China as the host and expressed his gratitude towards the athletes who have made the MWG such a magnificent meet.

Earlier, in an interview with CGTN's Tang Bo, Piccirillo said that the aim of the MWG is to "unite the world under the consensus of solidarity, love and friendship, despite different cultures, religions and ideologies." The CISM boss believes that Chinese President Xi Jinping attending the opening ceremony of the Wuhan Games highlights the country's willingness to maintain world peace through the Games.

Piccirillo described the Wuhan Games as a turning point of the development of the event. He said that the CISM decided to continue to work with China in promoting military spirit.

Before the closing ceremony came to an end, Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan also congratulated all the athletes attending the event.

"It is a great event of honor and sportsmanship. With staunch perseverance, all participating athletes competed at their best, challenged their limits, achieved new heights, and displayed sound sportsmanship, hence demonstrating the fine mentality and morality of today's soldiers. Let's congratulate all the participating Missions and athletes!"

Sun continued to say: "The Holy Flame of the 7th CISM Military World Games will be extinguished soon, but the Torch of World Peace will be burning forever. Let's join hands to establish a bridge of communication through sports, boost the people-to-people understanding through exchanges, and make new and greater contributions to safeguarding world peace and building a community with a shared future for mankind."

After General Xu announced the closing of the 7th Military World Games, Zhou Xianwang, Mayor of Wuhan Municipal People's Government, handed the CISM flag to Piccirillo.

As the Holy Flame of the 7th CISM Military World Games was being extinguished, the event was officially over, but the light of civilization, hope and peace will always shine on people's minds.