Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Police & Fire Games - National and Worldwide


We recently mentioned Public Safety professionals competing for Team USA in the Olympics.  This coverage turned out to be quite popular!!

But while the Olympics dominate in terms of size (10,000+ competitors in Summer Olympics and 4,000+ in Winter Olympics) ... did you know these events hold 2nd and 3rd place:

That's right!  Let's look at each.


US POLICE & FIRE CHAMPIONSHIPS

1967 ... the California Police Olympics inaugurated in San Diego, founded by a local Police Lieutenant (Veon "Duke" Nyhus)
1967 - 1989 ... the event continued to be called the California Police Olympics
1990 - 1999 ... the name changed to the California Police Summer Games
2000 - 2004 ... the name changed to the California Police & Fire Games, because firefighters were invited
2005 - 2011 ... the name changed to the Western States Police & Fire Games, because participants from outside California were invited
2012 ... the name changed to the US Police & Fire Championships, because eligible participants are now Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters, from all 50 US states and territories, both Active and Retired

45 years after founding this local competition, it has become a National Championship with 60 events!  The tournament is held Annually.  It is managed by the California Police Athletic Foundation (CPAF), a Non-profit corporation governed by active and retired police officers.


WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

1985 ... the World Police & Fire Games inaugurated in San Jose, CA
1987 ... the Games were held in San Diego, CA
1989 ... Vancouver, Canada
1991 ... Memphis, TN
1993 ... Colorado Springs, CO
1995 ... Melbourne, Australia
1997 ... Calgary, Canada
1999 ... Stockhold, Sweden
2001 ... Indianapolis, IN
2003 ... Barcelona, Spain
2005 ... Quebec City, Canada
2007 ... Adelaide, South Australia
2009 ... British Columbia, Canada
2011 ... New York City, NY
2013 ... the Games will be held in Belfast, Northern Ireland
2015 ... Fairfax County, Virginia
2017 ... Montreal, Canada

The World Games have 67 events.  The tournament is held Biennially.  And it is also managed by the CPAF.

Both competitions promote fitness and sports as a way for Public Safety professionals to (1) improve their health (2) reduce stress and (3) expand their skills and abilities.

Let us know if there are other Games or competitions we should feature!  This is fun stuff to cover!!

And check out this video from the June 2012 US Police & Fire Championships...


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