Not long after the Olympic torch was lit honoring the beginning of the Winter Olympics games in Torino, Italy, a local team of Airmen were preparing for winter games of their own -- Operation Winter Games.

The games, held Feb. 11 at Igriste-Vlasenica Ski Area, Bosnia, may have lacked the pomp and circumstance associated with the Winter Olympics, but it did share the spirit of the Olympics as a venue of brotherhood between nations and within teams.

“It brings us together as a team,” said Lt. Col. David Lowe, commander of Detachment 1, 401st Air Expeditionary Wing. “We do a lot together already, but this really builds camaraderie and gives us a common thing to look back upon.”

The 12-team competition consisted of three events for each three-person team. It worked out perfectly for the Air Force team since the base only has three blue- suiters.

“If we didn’t have the three of us we could have paired up with the Army, but this was better,” Colonel Lowe said. “We had Air Force esprit de corps.”

The first leg of the competition was a downhill slalom run, fully equipped with a flak jacket, helmet and rifle. This was followed by a 100-meter sprint through the snow to a firing range, where an air gun was used to shoot targets. After sprinting back up the hill the third team member sprinted down for a dummy hand-grenade toss and back to the finish.

“Our goal was to go out and have fun and not get too worried about who won or lost,” Colonel Lowe said. “Mostly it was about making new friends and new connections.”

The event was hosted by the Austria contingency from Multinational Task Force North. The Austrians are the lead for European Forces here.

“It was the idea of the Austrians to have these games,” said Staff Sgt. Thomas Gauster, Austrian public affairs. “It wasn’t about competition, but more about getting to know each other. In German we would say the ‘Olympic thinking’ is what’s most important, not winning. Just having fun.”

The Air Force team placed eighth out of 12 teams from 14 nations.