World Police and Fire Games

The World Police and Fire Games ( WPFG ) has been held every odd year since 1985. Current or retired police and fire fighting officers take part in these competitions. They compete in Olympic sports , non- Olympic sports , as well as in applied disciplines used in police and fire drills. In some disciplines there are age categories, participation in the Games is allowed upon reaching 18 years of age. Most of the competitions are free to visit the audience, while some (for example, special forces competitions) are allowed only to relatives and friends of participants upon presentation of documents ^[1] .

The idea of ​​police games originated in the 1960s in California , and was soon joined by firefighters and other states . In 1971, the first National Police and Fire Games were held, and in 1977 - the annual International, beginning in 1996, held in even years. The World Games competing with them took place for the first time in 1985, initially they were not attended by employees of auxiliary services such as the customs or the penitentiary system. Until 1995, the World Games were held only in the United States and Canada , and by 2013 only two games were held in non-English speaking countries . The maximum number of participants was recorded at the 2011 Games in New York - 16,000 from 59 countries.