The Italian soldiers of the national contingent led by their commander, Brigadier General Giuseppe Bertoncello, who leads the Western Sector of the United Nations mission in Lebanon, took part in the Beirut Marathon, an international foot race that saw the participation of 11.500 athletes from all over the world, once again sealing the strong bond that binds the peacekeepers Italians to the "Land of the Cedars".
The president of the Beirut Marathon Association, Madame May El Khalil, during the sporting event and in the organizational phases that preceded it, repeatedly expressed her thanks to the Italian contingent, explaining that "Your participation and support have been invaluable for this beautiful day of sport and peace to be successful".
For his part, the commander of the Italian contingent remarked how "Sport is one of the main ambassadors of the peace process in the world, and is the trait d'union that unites people of different nationalities, cultures and religions".
The sporting event, which in terms of number of participants is one of the most prestigious in the world and which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, did not take place before the pandemic period and has always promoted the message of "unity among peoples", a pillar of the UN mission in Lebanon.
The Italian mission in Lebanon led by the "Aosta" Brigade, in its third mandate in the Land of Cedars with the colors of the United Nations, is responsible for the Western Sector of UNIFIL in which 3.800 Blue Helmets from 16 of the 48 contributing countries to the UN mission operate and which includes over 1.000 Italian Blue Helmets.
The activities carried out in the Operative Theater are conducted under the coordination and according to the directives given by the Interoperable Summit Operations Command (COVI), led by the general of the army corps Francesco Paolo Figliuolo. The COVI is the staff body of the Chief of Defense, responsible for the planning, coordination and direction of military operations, national and multinational joint exercises and related activities.
