It was not just the muscle on stage or the medals around necks that defined the 2025 World Police and Fire Games in Birmingham, Alabama. It was the laughter between competitors, the handshakes after losses, and the new friendships formed between international strangers. From elite athletes to spirited amateurs, these Games earned their reputation of The Games of Heroes.

At the bodybuilding competition, reverent silence gave way to smiles and laughter when an average-bodied American contestant took the stage and struck some amateur poses with playful pride. The audience chuckled, then cheered. He walked offstage not with a trophy, but with plenty of new fans.

That was the spirit across all venues: fierce competition mixed with a sense of joy.

Worldwide Friendships and Cornhole Lessons

While warming up for her cornhole match, Teela Cumberworth of South Australia’s State Emergency Services decided to teach a couple of her friends how to play the game. Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Moore and Philip Bradley, both from the Prison Service, were there to compete—Jonathan in badminton and indoor rowing, and Philip in angling —but also to try new sports like cornhole . As the trio tossed bags, they discussed the games and their friendship.

“We all met at the Games in Fairfax, Virginia 10 years ago,” said Cumberworth, now attending her tenth Games. “We’ve been to heaps of Games where we’ve just met up with each other and supported each other.”

“It’s a bit of a world family,” she added. “Even when the Games aren’t on, you know you can always reach out.”

The trio discussed the skill differences across their sports, but all three agreed it was a strength of the games, not a weakness. “In every sport there’s different levels of experience, but it doesn’t matter,” said Moore. “It’s the camaraderie.”

Bradley agreed: “That’s what it’s all about.”

Competition and Encouragement

That global family feel was loudest during the Toughest Competitor Alive event, where top-tier athletes took on a gauntlet of physical challenges: swimming, rope climbs, weightlifting, and more. The competition was intense, but the support ran deeper than the drive to win. When faster swimmers finished their laps, many stayed in the water, shouting encouragement to slower-paced competitors. It was grit and grace in the same lane.

Of course, not every medal moment involved biceps or burpees. The doubles table tennis final between Singapore and Taiwan brought some serious intensity—and serious volume. Points scored were often punctuated by an athlete’s exclamation and fist pump. Singapore took the title, but the true prize might have been witnessing a match that felt like a full-court press packed into a single table.

Heroes at Home. Superstars in Birmingham.

Whether sprinting down a track, teaching new friends how to toss a cornhole bag, or standing in the wings to cheer on the next competitor, these men and women proved what the WPFG is all about. These competitors are public servants, guardians, and protectors back home. But for a brief period at the World Police and Fire Games, they let their true selves show: they were gold medal athletes; they were spotlight-stealing superstars; they were friends.