Dear participants, esteemed judges, organisers and friends of the international search and rescue dog community,

Since its foundation in 1993, the International Search and Rescue Dog Organisation (IRO) has grown into a global network founded on expertise, experience, and a profound dedication to search and rescue dog work. For the past thirty years, the IRO World Championship has embodied this international spirit, characterised by collaboration, genuine camaraderie, and outstanding accomplishments by humans and dogs alike.

The IRO World Championship is much more than just a sporting competition. It unites the values that have always characterised our work: trust, precision, teamwork, and a commitment to achieving excellence together. Search and rescue dog sports provide an essential foundation for operational quality and mission readiness. Many successful sports teams demonstrate their capabilities in real deployment situations, and experienced operational teams regularly rank among the top performers in international competitions. This close connection is what makes search and rescue dog sport within the IRO so unique.

The IRO’s roots date back to the 1988 earthquake mission in Armenia. This experience led to the formation of an organisation that is now recognised worldwide for setting the highest standards in the training of search and rescue dog teams, judges, trainers and classifiers. Over the decades, our member organisations have contributed their expertise and experience from both the sport and operational deployment sides, playing a decisive role in shaping the IRO’s development and professional competence.

I would therefore like to express my sincere thanks to all the organisers, volunteers, judges, handlers and member organisations whose commitment and dedication make this World Championship possible and bring our shared mission to life.

Sport is a universal language. Borders lose their importance when people share the same passion and work together towards a common goal. So let us mark the 30^th IRO World Championship for what it truly is: an international gathering defined by friendship, fair competition, and the special connection between humans and dogs.

With kind regards

Alois Balog
IRO President