The World Police & Fire Games (WPFG) took place in Asia for the first time since its inception in 1985. Held every two years, this highly prestigious event is considered the Olympic Games for police, firefighters, corrections officers, immigration officers, as well as other forms of law enforcement.
The event attracts around 10,000 entrants, second only to the Summer Olympics in this genre of competition. Sports include athletics, volleyball, dodgeball, darts, basketball, archery and much more. Of course, ice hockey was Powerplay Sports & Entertainment’s main focus; assisting in the organization of the events while Keith Fong was also appointed as the Sports Coordinator.
One of the main tasks for PPSE was to organize an officiating crew. An elite crew of six was formed: three from BC, Canada that had officiated in the WHL, one from the US, and two from Hong Kong.
8 teams from around the world competed in the games, 4 were allocated to the Top Tier and 4 to the Novice Tier. Division 1 in the Top Tier was a highly competitive contest that saw the Dinamo team from Russia battle to victory against Montreal Fire Department. In a highly volatile affair, the refereeing crew maintained their poise and professionalism, keeping the game in control throughout. Division 2 of the Top Tier saw the Tampere team from Finland defeat the Paris Fire Brigade. The Novice Tier saw Canada’s Finest defeat Aussie Heat in the gold medal game, while NA Blue from the US took home the bronze medal.
There was a great atmosphere throughout the tournament at the Century City International Exhibition Centre ice rink, and PPSE received glowing reviews and commendations from both the WPFG committee and the participating teams. All in all, a huge success at such a large scale event.
Keith Fong: ‘It was truly an honour to be able to take part such an incredible event. We learned a lot and and extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to the Organizing Committee in Chengdu and the World Police & Fire Games (WPFG) Committee for all their support’
The following iterations of the WPFG will be in Rotterdam (Netherlands) in 2021, followed by Winnipeg (Canada) in 2023. PPSE are looking forward to the possibility of being involved in future events.
