First cries of joy and long faces at the national fire brigade competition

Joy and not so joy are often very close together. It’s just a few movements and hundredths of a second. And sometimes just a few steps – from a group hugging each other in celebration to one with disappointment written all over their faces. But no matter whether it’s competitors on the field or spectators in the stands: the 2024 Federal Fire Brigade Competition leaves hardly anyone cold. And not just because of the high summer temperatures.

A first impression:

384 groups – almost 90 from Upper Austria alone – will compete this weekend in Feldkirch-Gisingen in Vorarlberg, pairing up and running. The slogans, banners and flags of the approximately 10,000 spectators could make many a football club green with envy. Just as in football, not everyone agrees with the “referees”, even if in this case they are called assessors – and they make that known loudly. Because the public in sport sometimes sees the “hot ones”, the fault points, differently.

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