Credit: Luxembourg Army

On Thursday 6 July 2023, the Luxembourg Army held the tenth edition of its Military Challenge in the Lultzhausen/Insenborn region.

A total of 41 teams of four people (164 sportsmen and sportswomen) took on the 16.6 km circuit, which  was made up of sixteen land and water obstacles.

Among the registered teams, nineteen represented the Luxembourg Army, including six civilians, four teams from the Special Police Unit of the Grand Ducal Police, the Customs and Excise Agency and the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS). Teams from Germany, Belgium, France and the Netherlands also took up the challenge.

All participants had to be medically and physically fit on the day of the competition and be familiar with the technique of abseiling. They were required to know and respect the rules of the challenge. According to the Luxembourg Army, discipline, fair play, security and anti-doping were at the centre of the challenge.

The prologue of the Military Challenge 2023 took place one day earlier, on Wednesday 5 July 2023, at the Grand-Duc Jean barracks in Diekirch. This competition determined the starting ranks for the following day. The "Bn Ch Ardn 2" team from Belgium ranked first.

Each athlete was given a special edition tenth anniversary Military Challenge T-shirt as well as an armband with their starting number.

During the challenge itself, there were various obstacles, including (but not limited to): Flying Dutchman (executing a "death ride"); Spiderman (climbing a caving ladder); Short-Cut (rappelling from a bridge); Lake-Cross (stand-up paddleboarding); Little Wall (executing a small death ride, getting in the water, doing a commando jump and an aquatic obstacle course); Pit-Stop (changing wheels); Out of the Hell (executing a commando swim across the lake); Pallet (using the proposed equipment to get past the obstacles); The Tube (moving through a dark tunnel); Yes We "Can" (crossing the lake with 20 litre watercans); Lumber Johnny (sawing a small part of a log); Shooting Range (executing a shot of two rifle shots and two bow arrows); Aid-Man (transporting an injured person on a marked route).

The first arrival (finish time) was recorded at 10:31 and the last at 16:55.

Back at the barracks, the results were announced that evening, followed by an award ceremony around a barbecue.

The winners were:

- Tango 1: a Luxembourg team composed of several units;
- Bn Ch Ard 2: the second team of a unit from the Ardennes in Belgium;
- DGP–DSIC: a team composed of Luxembourg's project management department and the information and communication systems department.