TEHRAN –The Rescue and Relief Organization of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) is holding a rescue and relief Olympiad from January 21 to 30 in northern Mazandaran province.

A total of 256 men and women rescuers from all over the country compete in four-member teams, ISNA quoted Babak Mahmoudi, an official with the IRCS, as saying. 

The main objective of the Olympiad is to improve the physical fitness and skills of the IRCS rescue forces to enhance their efficiency in providing relief services in times of disaster.

The rescue and relief Olympiad involves seven steps including navigation (forest, valley, and mountain), water rescue, rescue basket, emergency accommodation (setting up tents), prehospital care, road-rescue missions (stabilizing, saving, and transferring victims), and mountain search and rescue.

The men's part of the competition concluded on Saturday, and the women’s competition commenced on Sunday. “Currently, over 600 women rescuers are providing relief services at the IRCS. Women's quick response teams, the same as men’s, are capable of performing all missions in different situations such as accidents, floods, and earthquakes. Even, in some cases they outperform men since a majority of the victims in hazards are women and children,” Mahmoudi noted.

IRCS is a top organization

In September 2024, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) project manager, Faisal Mahboob, lauded the capabilities of the IRCS as outstanding.

The official said he was really impressed by the capacity and the wide range of activities carried out by the IRCS.

“The International Federation will support the activities of the Iranian Red Crescent Society to commence a new phase of collaboration with the society,” Mahboob added, the IRCS website reported.

In May 2024, Pir-hossein Kolivand, head of the IRCS, said the IRCS is recognized as one of the five prominent societies worldwide thanks to its wide range of activities and great achievements both nationally and internationally.

Referring to health, treatment, and rehabilitation as one of the parts of the IRCS activities, Kolivand said the IRCS hospitals, pharmacies, and clinics meet the medical and therapeutic needs of thousands of citizens every day.

The IRCS medical centers abroad are reputable worldwide. As a humanitarian organization, the IRCS is trying to alleviate the suffering of the people involved in accidents, emergencies, and conflicts.

“Today, collaborations with knowledge-based firms have resulted in advancements in manufacturing orthoses, prostheses, artificial organs, and new medications, with plans to extend cooperation to rescue and relief efforts as well,” the official noted.

MT/MG