By Linda McintoshThe San Diego Union-Tribune SAN DIEGO — Several thousand police and firefighters from across the country are slated to come to San Diego to participate in an Olympics-style sports competition. The 58th Annual U.S. Police and Fire Championships runs from May 31 to June 7 at San Diego Marriott Mission Valley along with 27 other venues throughout San Diego County. The idea behind the sporting event is to foster camaraderie, physical fitness, and community spirit among first responders from a wide variety of fields. The competition is organized by the nonprofit California Police Athletic Federation and is expected to draw 2,700 police officers, firefighters and officers from Corrections, Probation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The nonprofit also runs the World Police & Fire Games, which attracts international participants. There will be more than 38 events, ranging from team sports such as basketball and soccer to individual competitions such as track and field, swimming and CrossFit. The idea for the games came from a police captain. In 1967, San Diego Police Capt. Veon “Duke” Nyhus, a World War II Navy veteran, wanted to promote physical fitness and camaraderie in the law enforcement community. Nyhus, who retired from the San Diego Police Department as a deputy chief in 1983, was an athlete from the start. He was on the archery team at Arizona State University and joined the San Diego Archers when he moved to San Diego in 1952. Nyhus spearheaded the effort to start the California Police Olympics with the help of like-minded colleagues who felt the sporting event would boost overall fitness, reduce stress and increase the police force’s professional abilities. The first year of the event, the two-day competition drew 504 registered participants in 16 sports. Since then, it has grown into national and international competitions. The World Police & Fire Games began in 1985 in San Jose. The California Police Olympics, which started 58 years ago, led to the current U.S. Police and Fire Championships, which was established in 2012. The team fee for the Police and Fire Championships is $80 through May 30 and $100 May 31 to June 7 . Free for spectators. Visit https://cpaf.org/uspfc/ ©2025 The San Diego Union-Tribune.Visit sandiegouniontribune.com.Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.