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Canadians hit the court for first IPA Games in Portugal • PHOTOS

The first IPA (International Police Association) Games were held recently in Lisbon, Portugal, with one group of Canadians participating.

June 18, 2018 By Staff

Left to Right: Mustafa Popalzai

Const. Mustafa Popalzai from Toronto Police Service (TPS) 51 Division, Const. Farouk Fyzul from TPS 32 Division, Sgt. (retired) Bill Murrell from Ottawa Police Service and Murtaza Popalzai from the Ontario Provincial Police Caledon Detachment joined forces from May 14-18 to compete in the basketball activity.

They were joined by guest players Grabl Marcel from Germany and Alexandrino Neves from Portugal to round out the team.

“The experience was phenomenal. It allowed us an opportunity to meet other officers from around the globe and create a bond of brotherhood that will last us a lifetime,” said Mustafa Popalzai, who organized the team.

He noted the four Canadian IPA members represented the only team from Canada.

Other countries, such as Lithuania, Greece, Spain and Brazil, were heavily represented, he continued.

“Their local regions strongly supported them and they were able to participate in many different sports with a high number of athletes. As a result, they did very well at the podium.”

The IPA Games 2018 boasted 350 participants from 25 countries. The next IPA Games is slated for 2020.