ACE to Sponsor N.Y. Firefighters at World Firefighters Games

August 26, 2002

The ACE Group of Companies announced it will provide funding for 20 New York City firefighters to compete in the World Firefighters Games in New Zealand.

While in New Zealand, the participating New York City firefighters will also be guests of Team Dennis Conner/Stars & Stripes, the New York Yacht Club’s entry for the 2003 America’s Cup, during Round Two of the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series. ACE is a Gold-Level sponsor of Team Dennis Conner.

ACE, Dennis Conner and representatives of the New York City firefighters delegation will all be in attendance on Aug. 24 in Newport, Rhode Island for a send-off ceremony for Conner. Several crew members will depart the following day (Aug. 25) for New Zealand for the first round of the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series, which begins Oct. 1.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the World Firefighters Games, especially because this year’s “Memorial Games” are in honor of those who have lost their lives in the course of duty—particularly to our 343 brothers who gave their lives last September,” said Vinny Plover of the FDNY’s Ladder Company no.85, and an ACE-sponsored firefighter competing in New Zealand. “We’re also looking forward to cheering on Dennis and his crew in Auckland as they work to bring the America’s Cup back to New York where it belongs.”

The World Firefighters Games are held in a different location every two years, covering 72 different sporting events. The U.S. has always had a strong showing at the games, representing a high percentage of overall attendees each year. This year, New York City’s athletes will be joined by firefighters from California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia. The U.S. representatives will compete head to head in team and individual sports against representatives from countries around the world, including the Republic of Korea, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tahiti, the United Kingdom and Venezuela, among others.

The organizers of the 7th World Firefighters Games have dedicated these games to the memory of all the firefighters who have lost their lives in the course of duty, particularly to those New York firefighters who bravely gave their lives at the World Trade Center in September 2001. These games have been deemed The Memorial Games.

Topics New York

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