A Prince George team has returned with silver and bronze medals from the 2023 World Police and Fire Games in Winnipeg.
The 1697s Rugby Club, based out of Prince George, and made up of 13 first responders from Prince George, Quesnel, Burns Lake, Fort St. John, Kelowna, Powell River, Vancouver and Winnipeg, all first-time competitors at the games, took part in the men's Rugby 7s category, taking bronze in their division.
On the women’s side, club members played on two of the four Canadian women's squads entered in the games. Fort St. John's Ellen Pederson took home silver as a member of Canada Blue.
In judo, Fred Slooyer, a former member of the Prince George Fire Department who now lives in Abbotsford, won gold in the 60-plus men's under-73 kilogram divisions. Slooyer used to train with the North Capital Judo Club and also claimed gold at the 2009 World Police and Fire Games in Burnaby.
His son Brandon, a former College Heights Secondary School student who now works for the Vancouver Fire Department, finished fourth in the 18-plus under-81 kg judo class in Winnipeg.
This year’s World Police & Fire Games were held from July 28 to Aug. 6, with more than 70 nations taking part.
