Between July 22nd and 31st July, members of the PSSA made the year-late trip to Rotterdam for the much-awaited WPFG, delayed due to the dreaded pandemic from 2021.
Staying at the lovely H2Otel, a floating hotel in the city centre, the team arrived at different stages, with new sports being represented for the first time, and new teams making their first trip to the Games.
On Friday 22nd, our athletes lined up to enter Stadion Feijenoord, led by Flag Bearer Nigel Masters in honour of his 50 yrs service for the Queen.
For some, this was the latest in many entries into the ceremonies, but for many, it was their first exciting venture into this addictive world of the World Police Fire Games.
For a multitude of possible reasons, the Games were not on their usual scale of competitors, and with the Games Village usually such a hive of activity, being much quieter than previous years. However, this did not dampen the resolve and enjoyment of our team, with many photos being shared of not just the sporting events, but of the fun and camaraderie in the evenings.
As the sporting events began, it was clear that our relatively small team were going to have a huge impact on the medals table. With medals of all colours for our new teams of Jiu-Jitsu and Angling amongst others, we continued to gather medals as the event progressed. Great results also came from many Games veterans in the Indoor Rowing, Cycling, Athletics, Golf and Shooting events, to name just a few.
As usual, the camaraderie of the team was evident, with members using their non-competing days to go along and support their colleagues in their events.
Despite us being one of the smaller teams present this year, with teams such as Brazil being represented by several different Police Services, Fire and Corrections, Team PSSA proved they were not a team to be underestimated. The new generation of footballers, entering their first WPFG proved this in a great way, by taking the game to the might of the Brazilians, beating some of their teams to meet their best in the final, leading to a silver medal.
Although some of our medals were not counted as being for HMP and the PSSA team, due to some players representing other teams to compete, we held our heads high by coming 14th in the table of 792 agencies represented.
Great results by any standards, with many exceptional individuals, as well as team performances.
Congratulations to all our competitors, whether medal winners or not, for a fantastic Games.
Comments