IRO Judges WCH 2023
Supervising Judge
JERNEJA TERNOVEC (SI)
has been active in rescue dog sport since 1995. She has been a trainer for rescue dogs since 2003, a national judge for rescue dogs since 2006 and an Int. IRO judge since 2008. She is an active dog handler and trainer, and currently member of the IRO Board as Spokesperson for Training & Judges.
Main Judge OB/DEX
Kazuhiro Sawada (JP)
has been active in rescue dog sports and training since 1976. In 1981 he founded a private dog school. He took part in several IRO World Championships, is an active dog handler and in 2005, he became International IRO judge.
Co – Judge OB/DEX
Pavla Foltynova (CZ)
started with SAR Training in 2006. She passed a number of IRO events in area, rubble and water rescue with her flat coated retrievers, incl. WCHs in area and rubble search. She participated in MRT in rubble and national MRTs in rubble and area search and several real searchings in area. Her career as IRO judge started in 2022.
Main Judge Rubble
Mirka Necak (SI)
has not only been a dog handler since her earliest youth, but has also been active for many years as a volunteer in her NRO in Slovenia, and is also a member of the organising committee at numerous World Championships. In 2015, she successfully passed the IRO judge’s test and since then has judged numerous test events around the world every year.
Co – Judge Rubble
Astrid Laner (IT)
Her cynological CV began in childhood, as her father was an avid shepherd dog breeder. In 1983 she started with the rescue dog work (area and avalanche). Since 1985 she has participated in numerous search operations. IRO judge since 2002. Last passed MRT in 2017, as well as 3rd rank at the IRO WCH 2017 in rubble search.
Main judge Tracking
Pavel Sabacký (CZ)
Since 1986 he has been in national and international missions and has
won the IRO WCH twice. He became an Int. IRO Judge in 2000 and has since
then judged a number of times at the IRO WCH. He retired in fall 2021,
but is still actively involved in rescue work as a dog handler and
judge, as well as in music.
Beirichter Fährte
Hannes Hiltpolt (AT)
ist seit 1995 aktiver Hundeführer und seit kurzem in Rente. Seit 2008 ist er Internationaler Richter für Rettungshunde (FCI) und seit 2015 Internationaler IRO Richter.
Main Judge Area
Alois russegger (AT)
has been an active rescue dog handler since 1981 and was a military dog
handler for protection and rescue dogs until 2017. Among other things,
he is an active mantrailer and instructor of the IMTAK9 (International
Mantrailing Academy). In 2007 he became Int. IRO judge and trainer.
Co – Judge Area
Vedran vukomanovic (HR)
Apart from being an IRO Classifier and Int. IRO judge, active as a DH and a trainer at his local NRO (CRDA). Successfully certified his dogs with the IRO MRT in the past. Also participated in several IRO WCHs. As a part of the Croatian Urban Search and Rescue Module he was deployed internationally and nationally in several missions.