ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Twelve soldier-athletes and three coaches who serve in the Army are among those who will compete in the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo.

At least 541 soldiers have been selected for the Summer or Winter Olympic teams since the World Class Athlete Program was founded by the Army in 1948. In that time, soldier-athletes have amassed at least 131 Olympic medals in various sports, according to DoD. 

More than 300 competitors took part in the 10th annual Warrior Games competition, held this year in Tampa, Florida, and hosted for the first time by the U.S. Special Operations Command.

The Army’s team of about 100 competitors included soldiers from the Regular Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve and veterans.

Army Capt. Casey Turner tied for second in the Ultimate Champion result count, with Staff Sgt. Ross Alewine – the 2018 Ultimate Champion – finishing third.

Soldiers who played on sports teams in high school are more likely to have the traits needed to succeed as leaders in the Army, according to Army Secretary Mark T. Esper, who said a sports background “just jumps out for me.”

“People who play sports, who are on sports teams, I think are valuable,” Esper said June 13 to an almost exclusively female audience at the Women in Defense National Conference in Arlington, Virginia, where he was the keynote speaker.

The House Armed Services Committee is poised to change federal law to prevent service academy athletes from cutting short their military service to start a professional sports career.

The committee is prepared to make three changes in Title 10 of U.S. Code so any graduate from a military service academy must fulfill, without exception, their military service commitment before being released to participate in professional sports. The change does not apply to ROTC officers.

It was a big day for Army runners at the 32nd Army Ten-Miler, with Sgt. Augustus Maiyo leading a group of five soldiers who were first across the finish line.

About 35,000 people took part in a race that started in a stiff wind and light rain as the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew reached Washington, D.C.

Maiyo’s winning time was 48:20, just ahead of Army Spc. Robert Chesert, a fellow Kenyan-American who is also part of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program.