21 August 2008
Spotlight falls on Liverpool as World Firefighters Games 2008
roll into town
As the curtain falls on the Olympics in Beijing, more than 3,000
firefighters are descending on Liverpool to help launch another
international sporting event – the 10th World Firefighters
Games.
The Games are a biennial festival of sport and camaraderie for
the firefighting community, and take place between August 24 and
September 2, 2008.
More than 3,000 competitors from over 30 countries are gearing
up to take part in a packed programme of sporting and unique
events.
The Games are being hosted by Merseyside Fire & Rescue
Service as its contribution towards Liverpool’s celebratory year as
European Capital of Culture, and the events promises to be one of
the biggest attractions on the city’s calendar this year.
The brand new £164 million waterfront Liverpool Echo Arena will
be transformed into the ‘Games Village’ for the 10-day event, and
will become a real hive of activity for both competitors and
spectators.
Firefighters will compete in 72 sporting and unique events in 43
top-class host venues across Liverpool and the North West,
including Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool Football Club’s Training
Academy in Kirkby and the brand new Liverpool Aquatics Centre. The
Games reach out as far as Greater Manchester, North Wales and
Derbyshire. The competitions cater for all age groups and
abilities, and include everything from football, triathlon,
snowboarding and boxing, to chess, poker, table tennis and
fishing.
The real showcase event is the unique Toughest Firefighter
Alive, the ultimate test of a firefighter’s strength, fitness and
stamina. Set against the stunning backdrop of St George’s Hall in
the heart of Liverpool city centre, firefighters will drag hoses,
rescue heavy dummies, climb high walls and have to deal with drums
and sledgehammers in a whole range of athletic and stamina testing
tasks. And if that isn’t enough, they then have to do a stair climb
– up Liverpool’s tallest building, Radio City Tower, which stands
at an impressive 125 metres high, or 550 steps if you’re counting
them as you run up!
Merseyside Chief Fire Officer Tony McGuirk commented: “We expect
these to be the biggest and most successful World Firefighters
Games ever. We’ve arranged a sporting and social calendar at
terrific venues which are second to none. The Liverpool Echo Arena
will act as the Games Village and we hope the general public will
get involved and come to watch some of the bigger events. The Games
will promote sport and fire safety and leave a lasting legacy for
the region.”
The Games will start with two accreditation days on August 23
and 24, and will be officially launched with a spectacular
Olympic-style Opening Ceremony on Bank Holiday Monday (August 25)
at the Games Village. This takes place on the same day as
Liverpool’s world-famous Mathew Street Festival, giving competitors
and visitors the chance to join in the fun in the city centre once
the Games have been opened – and don’t miss the ‘Hey Jude
Sing-Along’ on the outside stage from 1.30pm.
The proceedings will start at 12pm with a colourful competitor
parade led by the Irish Guards, which will conclude in the
Liverpool Echo Arena. The event will then be formally opened by
Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe MP, and there will be video
messages from Prime Minister Gordon Brown and HRH The Prince of
Wales. The afternoon’s entertainment will include The Love and Joy
Gospel Choir and the Grand Final of the Toughest Young Fire Crew
competition.
More than 1,000 volunteers have been trained to help the Games
run smoothly and many community projects are being organised around
the region to promote health and fitness as well as fire
safety.
For the first time in the Games’ 20-year history there will be a
charitable side to the event. Seven charities, including The Fire
Fighter’s Charity, are set to benefit from the WFG08 Charity Fund
which is on course to raise an incredible £100,000. The main
charitable event is the Chiefs’ Challenge when anyone who holds the
‘Chief’ title will each raise £1,000 through a charity run.
Competitors include Chief Fire Officers from around the country,
Chief Constables and a number of Chief Executives from the public
and private sectors.
The World Firefighters Games 2008 will bring significant and
immediate economic benefits to the region, while promoting it as a
tourism destination to visitors from across the globe. The Games
will generate an initial £2.8m for the local economy, and this is
expected to reach almost £7 million in the initial years following
thanks to return visits.
Funding Partners of WFG08 are Liverpool City Council, Northwest
Regional Development Agency, Telent and Sport England.
Sheldon Phillips, Partnership Marketing Manager for the
Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), added: “Liverpool has
the world-class facilities and infrastructure required to host a
unique and successful Games. These are already shaping up to be an
excellent event, and a highlight of the European Capital of Culture
Year, with a significant number of competitors and volunteers, and
a programme with something to interest everyone.
“The World Firefighters Games is a major international event
which will raise the profile of Liverpool across the globe and
contribute around £3million to the local economy.”
All sporting events are free for the public to watch. So why not
drop into the Arena during the 10 days of the World Firefighters
Games and see for yourself what’s going on – you won’t want to miss
it!
The Official WFG08 Souvenir Guide is priced at £5 and contains
everything you need to know about the Games! It is on sale from the
Liverpool Echo Arena during the Games period, priced at £5.
The World Firefighters Games 2008 has sparked excitement within
the business community on a national level. There are different
levels of sponsorship available, and the Games have already
attracted a whole host of big name sponsors.
Platinum sponsors are Airwave, Sophtlogic, Everton Football
Club, Merseytravel and Asset Co.
Gold sponsors are Weightmans, Risksmart, Hale Products Europe
Ltd, WL Gore & Associates Ltd, BHP Billiton, VT Critical
Services, Tesco, SFL, Jurys Inn Liverpool, A1 Traffic Management,
Aqua Mist Fire Protection, Dicon, Mersey Sound Productions, and
Albert Dock Company.
Other highlights include the Iron Dog competition for
four-legged friends of the Fire Service, a Fire Service Fight Night
featuring judo, karate, taekwondo, wrestling and boxing.
The full WFG08 events programme is available at www.wfg08.com
ENDS
For further information, interview and/or picture requests
please contact:
Erica Dillon
Games Publicist
World Firefighters Games 2008 Liverpool
Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service
Corporate Communications
Email:
EricaDillon@merseyfire.gov.uk
Direct Line: 0151 296
4412
Mobile:
07990 501558
Website:
www.wfg08.com