All may be fair in love and war, but cheating on the sports field leads to disqualification, a group of Chinese soldiers discovered after they were kicked out of an international military competition.

The Chinese orienteering team was disqualified from the Military World Games, which China is hosting, after its troops took first, second, and fourth for women and second for men in the middle-distance competition on Sunday.

The event tests runners on their speed and map-reading abilities by navigating unknown terrain equipped only with a map and compass.

But it later emerged the runners had received illegal assistance from spectators and used previously prepared markings and paths that only their team knew about.

Following a joint protest by Russia, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Poland and Austria, the jury decided to disqualify the entire Chinese team, the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) said.

An appeal from the Chinese athletes was rejected.

The Military World Games was founded in 1995 and is held every four-years. China is hosting the ten day event for the first time in the city of Wuhan. Xi Jinping, the president of China, attended the opening ceremony.

Athletes from 109 nations are competing in this year's games.

The event it is organised by the International Military Sports Council but the orienteering competition is governed by the rules of the IOF, which runs the civilian sport.