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:

• World Police & Fire Games (nearly 10,000 competitors expected in 2013)
• US Police & Fire Championships (nearly 5,000 competitors in 2012)

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...