Firefighters hunting for elite athletes in the sports world
The 2025 firefighting sports championship is underway in Torgau, Saxony, with around 620 firefighters from Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria competing in various disciplines. The event, which runs until Saturday, features a 100-meter hurdles race, a "wet firefighting attack," and the house hurdle event, among others.
Teams like Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are participating in the competition, with athletes running relay races involving challenging obstacles like climbing over a man-high house and passing a jet pipe as a baton. The competition is highly demanding and considered top-class sport.
Refereeing rules are rigorously enforced by about fifty judges who scrutinize every detail to validate the performance, making the championship not just a test of speed but also of technique and correctness. Judges include former firefighters who bring practical experience to their officiating role, maintaining high standards of fairness and accuracy throughout the event.
The participating teams come mainly from Germany, with some from neighboring countries like the Czech Republic and Austria. The top three women’s and men’s teams from the championships will qualify for the international competitions of the World Firefighting Association.
Laura Wolf, a competitor from Krakow am See, is a part of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern team. She grew up in a firefighting village, was part of the youth and junior firefighting teams, and is in the active firefighting force. During her training, Laura tackled a man-high house, a discipline that's part of the 4x100-meter relay.
Silvia Oestreicher, spokesperson for the German Firefighting Association, mentioned that there are two traditions in firefighting sports: an eastern and a western variant. The eastern style of firefighting sports is more sport-oriented compared to the western style, which focuses more on practical firefighting.
Training sessions were held on Wednesday at the Hafenstadion in Torgau, giving participants a chance to prepare for the competition. The championships are expected to be an exciting display of speed, skill, and teamwork in the world of firefighting sports.
However, a controversy arose during the opening ceremony when the first stanza of the German national song was mistakenly played. The German Fire Service Association distanced itself from this incident, emphasizing adherence to democratic values and dismissed the responsible person from honorary duties. This incident does not affect the competition rules or the sporting aspects but highlights the association’s commitment to democratic principles.
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In the midst of the firefighting sports championship, teams like Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are engaging in relay races that involve challenging obstacles, such as climbing over a man-high house and passing a jet pipe as a baton. Despite the controversy that surfaced during the opening ceremony, the competition continues to be an exciting display of speed, skill, and teamwork, showcasing the eastern style of firefighting sports, which is more sport-oriented.
