Some 10,000 athletes from around the world will soon gather in Vancouver this summer to compete in World Police and Fire Games, an event which is seen as a test run for the host city of 2010 Winter Olympic Games, local media reported Tuesday.
The biennial games will draw firefighters, police officers and border guards from 55 countries and regions from July 31 to Aug. 9, the Vancouver Sun reported.
The 2009 games feature a wide smattering of sports, ranging from the traditional like track and field, soccer and softball to the offbeat like angling, darts and wrist wrestling. About 3,000 volunteers will come to help.
In light of the scale of the games, many consider it as a dry run to the Olympics. Vancouver's transit system, airport and other facilities will be tested.
"They are going to have a chance to test some of their systems because of the sheer volume in numbers of athletes that we bring in," said Stuart Ballantyne, CEO of the games.
The Vancouver Winter Games will bring in about 3,500 athletes，or roughly a third the number these games bring in.
However, Ballantyne said the two types of games are different both in terms of the level of competition and the sports offered.
Setting up the World Police and Fire Games involved major logistical challenges with 50 venues, some of them far-flung, and 2,100 gold medals to hand out. Each of the 63 sports is segmented by age, gender and skill.
Source: Xinhua
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