Countdown begins for World Police and Fire Games

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/07/2022 (1208 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE World Police and Fire Games are coming to Winnipeg in 2023 and organizers suggest it will be a very big production — larger than either the 1999 Pan Am Games or the 2017 Canada Summer Games.

It’s an Olympic-style, multi-sport competition with a history dating back to 1985.

Next year’s extravaganza is expected to draw more than 8,500 athletes — firefighters, law enforcement officials and personnel from corrections, customs, probation, and border protection — with competitions in more than 60 sports staged at 34 venues in and around the city.

A campaign to generate 3,500 volunteers will kick off in January.

“When you bring that many people from around the world you do need that many volunteers,” said Games COO Mike Edwards during a Friday press conference at True North Square to mark a year-long countdown. “A Games like this, an event like this, is driven by volunteers. It’s driven by the community. It changes the face and the atmosphere of the city when it’s something that big for those 10 days.”

The event is slated to run betweeen July 28 and Aug. 6, 2023.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to happen,” said Edwards. “Planning all of the sporting events, planning our transportation, our signage program, our marketing program — there’s a whole ton of those. When it comes to hotels, we’ve secured over 35 hotels as partners that have offered discounted rates to provide that for the athletes so they can make that their home while they’re here.”

Next week, Edwards and other members of the Winnipeg organizing committee travel to Rotterdam to observe the 2022 edition of the Games, which were delayed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winnipeg’s bid was confirmed in August 2017 and organizers have an operating budget of approximately $17 million. The Games have received $2 million in federal funding, $4.9 million from the province and $1.5 million from the city’s Special Events and Tourism Fund.

Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson touted the event’s economic impact on the community at $85 million.

Events include those you would expect to find at other multi-sport games and some more unique to the World Police and Fire Games, such as Ultimate, wrist-wrestling and dragon boat racing.

Another called the Toughest Competitor Alive is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

“It is basically a heptathlon made up for these Games — seven events (including) a five-kilometre run, a shotput event, 100-metre dash, 100-metre swim, a rope climb — you’re not using your feet, just all upper body — chin-ups, an obstacle course,” said Swayze, a Winnipeg firefighter. “You have to be quite fit for that one.”

Chad Swayze, who serves as executive director of sport for the Games, expects a healthy turnout, despite the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

“With the kind of the pent-up desire to travel and hopefully with the lack of COVID then it’d be a lot better for us,” said Swayze, a five-time medal winner who will compete in archery at the Rotterdam Games. “We’re still projecting at 8,500 athletes or more. Personally, I think we’ll get more.”

The Games are normally held every two years.

“Typically about 60 per cent come from North America, no matter where the Games are in the world —even if it’s Europe or if it’s China,” ” said Swayze. “American and Canadian athletes will take up about 60 per cent.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter @sawa14