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 event 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 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.

The proceedings will start at 12pm with a colourful competitor parade from Keels Wharf, behind Jurys Inn, which will be led by the Irish Guards. The route will then take competitors across the piazza, down Kings Parade and returning to the piazza in time for the ‘Hey Jude Sing-Along’ on the outside stage from 1.30pm.

This will be followed by the Opening Ceremony inside the Liverpool Echo Arena between 3pm and 4.30pm. 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 five pounds.

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, and a Fire Service Fight Night featuring judo, karate, taekwondo, wrestling and boxing.

The full WFG08 events programme is available at www.wfg08.com

12 members of Wiltshire Fire & Rescue will be attending

Duty Press Officer

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