Adelaide Convention Centre hub for 2007 World Police & Fire Games
The 2007 World Police & Fire Games began with a spectacular opening ceremony at Adelaide Oval this week as Adelaide welcomed more than 8,000 competitors and 4,000 accompanying visitors to one of the world’s largest mass participation events.
And while the Games’ 79 events are being held at locations throughout South Australia, the Adelaide Convention Centre is undoubtedly the hub of the Games, acting as the official Games Centre and hosting the Games Village and the Coopers Alehouse on the Torrens on its new riverside events space.
During the Games from March 16 to 25, the Centre will also host a foreign exchange desk, a post office, cafes, shops for Games merchandise, an accreditation area, medical centre, communications hub and a multilingual information service. Sports such as wrestling, boxing and darts will also be held at the Centre.
“There is no doubt that the World Police & Fire Games is a massive logistical undertaking but we are well equipped to meet the needs of the World Federation boasting both a venue that is versatile and flexible and staff that are both qualified and experienced in major events,” Chief Executive Alec Gilbert says.
“Competition areas will need to be dismantled and erected quickly. One day we’ll be hosting karate and the next judo, and the next wrestling.”
Over the three days leading up to the last night’s opening which featured an athletes’ parade, legendary Australian band Rogue Traders and a tribute to the men and women who have lost their lives in the line of duty, the Centre also hosted a top-level emergency management conference exhibition which included keynote speeches from some of the world’s leading terrorism experts.
Held every two years, the Games offer firefighters, law enforcement, correctional services and custom officers the chance to compete in Olympic disciplines such as swimming, track and field and basketball through to agency-specific sports such as police combat pistol and the ultimate firefighter through to sports such as wrist wrestling, dragon boat racing and tug-of-war.
The event is one of many to be held at the Centre during 2007 with other events including an APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit, an international salinity forum and Australian Wine Industry Technical forum.
“The Adelaide Convention Centre has an enviable global reputation for excellence and is consistently ranked among the world’s top convention centres. Since opening our doors 20 years ago, we have generated well in excess of $570 million in economic benefits for South Australia,” Mr Gilbert said. “Hosting the 2007 World Police & Fire Games is further proof of our flexibility and expertise in hosting world-class conferences and events.”
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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