The idea of organizing a Polish-American-Spanish tournament arose during the Anakonda-16 exercise to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Spain’s 7th Light Paratrooper Brigade “Galicia,” which works shoulder to shoulder with the armored soldiers from Świętoszów.
In the opening match, the Spaniards confidently defeated the Americans 5–0. In the second game, the armored soldiers from Świętoszów routed the United States Army team 7–0. The final match also ended in a victory for the Polish soldiers, who defeated the Spaniards 3–0.
The tournament took place in a very pleasant, allied atmosphere. The event was watched by the commander of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade, Brigadier General Maciej Jabłoński, who cheered for his team. The Polish players’ victories over their allies were particularly pleasing given the rarity of victories by the White and Reds over Spain and the United States in football matches.
Anakonda-16 was not only the largest international exercise of the Armed Forces in 2016, creating conditions for improving allied cooperation within NATO procedures, but also enabled closer allied relations while strengthening the soldiers’ fitness essential on the battlefield.
ppor. Radosław Gruźlewski/ii