Teams come from all over the world to the biannual World Firefighter Games, where they participate in events that include bowling, boxing, climbing, chess, darts, dragon boat racing, paintball, poker, tug of war, arm wrestling and also more firemen-specific events like the bucket brigade contest, fire truck challenge, firehouse cook-off, and a ‘toughest firefighter alive’ challenge.
Yoav Gadassi, the head of the Firefighters' Union, also led the Israeli delegation to the games. He told Arutz Sheva's Hebrew-language service that the soccer team's victorious moment was one of great national pride. 'There were almost 60 teams participating, including the Arab states and Iran,' he related. 'We have been competing in this contest since 1999 and for us this is an unprecedented achievement: for the first time in history, Israel is the world champion in soccer in the firefighters' 'Olympics.''"
