The vigil began as far back as August 10, 2013 during the closing ceremonies of the 2013 World Police &
Fire Games in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
With the 2015 Games already awarded to Fairfax County, the anticipation grew with each passing day. The question we heard most frequently was predictable: “When can we sign up?”
In a few short days that wait will be over.
On Wednesday, October 1, individual and team registration will officially open for the 2015 World Police & Fire Games, set to unfold in Fairfax County and the National Capital Region from June 26 through July 5. With 61 sports to be contested at 53 venues across ten days next summer, athletes and police and fire officials will soon be able to stake their claim to a guaranteed slot within the competition. “Athlete registration is a critical milestone as this activity truly kickstarts the momentum for the Games,” said Fairfax 2015 Vice President of Venues & Competition DJ Mackovets. “The buzz and the chatter on social media and the Fairfax 2015 website have been enormous. We know that the moment registration opens, the action will be furious. We fully expect several sports to ‘sell-out’ in a matter of weeks.”
The urgency, Mackovets says, is legitimate. As the potential competitive field for several of the sports can be limited by venue size and available dates, once a field is filled, it’s filled. “Obviously, events such as cross country, swimming, half-marathon and several of the cycling sports could accommodate an unlimited number of participants, you can only fit so many flag football, softball, volleyball and soccer teams into a venue and only field a limited number of weightlifters, wrist wrestlers and martial artists,” he said. And once a competition field is filled, well, “you can’t squeeze a round peg into a square hole,” Mackovets says.
Once open, registration will take place exclusively online through the competition website – www.fairfax2015.com. Each event will carry its own pricing structure with rules, regulations and
tournament formats clearly defined and also available online. There is no pre-qualification necessary, no preliminary tournaments nor feeder events, and the Games are structured so as to provide a
competitive balance for teams and individuals across all sports, with divisions specifically for beginners, intermediate and advanced participants.
“We strongly advise and encourage all interested parties to read and review the rules, regulations and requirements of each sport thoroughly, well in advance of registration opening,” Mackovets says. “This way, they can pull the trigger quickly when the site goes live.”
For additional information, or to register (after October 1), visit www.fairfax2015.com.
Athlete registration will close for 23 sports on 31 May unless maximum registration numbers are reached in advance of that date. Those sports are Basketball 5x5, Billiards, Darts, Indoor Soccer, Outdoor Soccer, Honor Guard, Police Service Dogs, Table Tennis, Wrestling, Tennis, Tug of War, Muster, Boxing, Body Building, Ultimate Firefighter, Track and Field, Flag Football, Lacrosse, Paintball, Toughest Competitor Alive, Small Bore, Baseball, and Bowling. For bracketed team sports Team Captains can add members to rosters beyond closing dates as long as the mininum number of athletes required to compete has been reached.
