Competitive athletes undergo intense search by firefighters for undisclosed reasons - "Sports enthusiasts on the hunt for top-tier athletes"
Firefighter Sports Competitions Kick Off in Torgau, Germany
Firefighters from Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria are gearing up for an exciting week of competition in Torgau, Saxony, as the 2025 Firefighter Sports Championships get underway. The event, which runs from today until Saturday, promises to showcase the best in firefighting skills and teamwork.
At the heart of these competitions are traditions that have been preserved for decades, with two distinct variants - an eastern and a western one. While the eastern variant focuses more on sports-oriented competition, the western variant places a greater emphasis on practical firefighting.
One of the star athletes of the event is Laura Wolf, a 26-year-old firefighter from Krakow am See, who is competing with the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern team. Laura, whose younger sister is also part of the MV team, was born into firefighting sports and has been a part of the junior, youth, and active fire departments, as well as the active firefighting service.
During the competitions, referees like Fred Langkabel, a former firefighting sports athlete, will keep a close eye on every detail to ensure the correct execution of all disciplines. Langkabel, a 64-year-old bus driver, completed referee training after his active career and is one of 50 referees ensuring the fairness of the games.
The teams had the opportunity to train at the Hafenstadion in Torgau on Wednesday. The German teams competing in Torgau are from the six eastern German states, including Berlin.
The competitions feature a variety of disciplines, with 620 athletes participating in events such as the 100-meter hurdles race and the "wet fire attack." One discipline that Laura Wolf and others will be practicing is a 4x100-meter relay where they have to storm over a man-high house.
Firefighter sports are something different for Laura, offering an alternative to more common sports like football. The goal of the competitions is to achieve the best time in each event. The top three women's and men's teams from the championships will qualify for the international competitions of the World Firefighting Association.
These competitions are a testament to the strong firefighting sports cultures in Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria, often linked to volunteer fire brigades. While each country has its unique traditions, they share a common European firefighting heritage. The competitions are governed by the overarching bodies like the World Police & Fire Games Federation (WPFGF), whose rules take precedence in case of conflict.
The WPFGF rules define competition formats, equipment standards, team sizes, timing, safety regulations, and dispute resolution procedures. National firefighting sport organizations align with these international standards to enable international competition eligibility. International firefighting sports competitions are typically organized under the aegis of federations such as the WPFGF, with events hosted rotatingly among member countries.
As the competitions get underway, spectators can look forward to a week of high-level firefighter sports, showcasing the best of teamwork, speed, and technique in hose handling, ladder climbing, and pump operation.
Community aid is essential for firefighters, as vocational training in sports such as football helps them maintain physical fitness and teamwork skills, which are crucial in competitions like the Firefighter Sports Championships. During her training for the 2025 event, Laura Wolf, a firefighter from Krakow am See, also honed her skills in various disciplines, including a 4x100-meter relay, where they have to storm over a man-high house, an alternative to traditional sports like football.
