Not only the athletes, but also the officials (referees, judges) are preparing for the European Athletics Indoor Championships, early March at Omnisport, Apeldoorn (the Netherlands). Earlier this month, over 120 enthusiastic officials and other volunteers, came together to be informed onsite about the latest developments.
The rules and regulations in athletics are the same all over the world, so it should not matter where you are working as an official. But of course, it is not as simple as that. When you are responsible for judging around seven hundred European top athletes, it takes a lot of preparation. Especially when, over four days, there are almost 30,000 spectators in the stands and sixty-six million TV viewers watching over your shoulder. ‘The procedures and routines at the Omnisport stadium are also different from those at the Nationals, for example. Many of our officials have experience of working at national championships’, says Niels van der Aar, who will be our competition leader at the European Athletics Indoor Championships and is closely involved in preparing the officials.
These preparations started over a year ago, when all Dutch officials were given the opportunity to register and show their interest in working at this major event. Candidates were asked to present themselves in a personal video clip. In this way, two hundred people were selected to actually work at the European Championships. These two hundred people will work in a variety of roles, not just as officials. For instance, as marshals for doping controls, in the call room, in the multi-event area and generally to guide the athletes in the right direction throughout the Omnisport stadium. This is not an easy task as space in Omnisport is limited. Therefore, during t the event more square metres will be created with a large tent outside and the use of the volleyball hall as warmup area.
The officials are divided into groups for each event. These teams are led by one of the nine referees. Seven of these referees come from abroad, two of them are Dutch. The three technical delegates also come from abroad and are assigned to the Netherlands by European Athletics.
Does this change the hierarchy?
‘No’, says Van der Aar. ‘Because the various roles are no different than at a national competition. The only thing that changes is the language in which you consult.’
He is full of praise for the quality of the Dutch officials. ‘I regularly work in various positions at major events, such as the Olympic Games in Paris and the World Championships. So, I have seen and experienced enough to make a good comparison for our event. Recently, there has been a lot of interest in the Netherlands in the courses and exams that World Athletics and European Athletics offer digitally, which has enabled us to improve the quality even more.’
The teams of officials were put together a year ago and these teams started working at our National Championships last year, based on these upcoming European Athletics Indoor Championships. These teams will also be acting at our Nationals again this year, which is a fantastic opportunity to get to know each other and prepare for this big event. Of course, not everything will work the same way at the Nationals as it does at the Europeans. One of the elements that will be different during the European Indoors in March is the fact that there will be four or five cameras around each section. This puts a considerable strain on the limited space on the field of play during the Indoors. Together with the host broadcaster, we are therefore working hard on the venue plans, which will also be used to assign the officials their positions. The aim is to keep the field of play as “clean” as possible so that both spectators and broadcasters have a clear view of the competition as it unfolds.
The Officials will also have to deal with the equipment provided by European Athletics. The timing and video measuring systems are slightly different from what the Dutch officials are used to. Therefore, two days before the official start of the European Athletics Indoor Championships, a test competition with Dutch athletes will be organised at Omnisport. This allows the officials to get to know their foreign colleagues and all the equipment.
It goes without saying that becoming an official at a European Championships is no easy task. It requires a lot of – unpaid – time and therefore a lot of motivation. And, of course, a passion for athletics! In January, all officials are expected to attend an online seminar to make sure they have received and absorbed the latest information and are fully prepared. In total, around six hundred volunteers will be involved in this unique event in the Netherlands.
For Roos Spierings, dedicating a lot of time to the European Indoor Championships is no problem. The 22-year-old athlete from student athletics association Uros in Maastricht became a youth jury member at the age of fifteen and, thanks to additional training, can now also act as a competition leader and referee. ” “But I was already raking the long jump pit when I was very young, while my mother was a judge,” she says. At her athletics club, she concentrates on hurdles and pole vaulting.
“I find it really interesting to be an official at the European Athletics Indoor Championships. It is the biggest event to take place in the Netherlands in the next few years. I’ve been assigned to the shot put event, which means I’ll be placing a prism at the point where the shot lands. A camera in the stands will then measure the exact distance.”
And what about the pressure, with thousands of spectators watching, some of whom might think they saw things more clearly than you?
“It’s not too bad. We work in pairs. And there will be a new type of mat on which the impression of the shot will be very easy to see.”
Dennis Francois brings considerable experience to major tournaments. He is regularly involved in international competitions abroad and was a referee at the 2016 European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam. He will take on the same role in Apeldoorn. He also coaches young athletes at his club Groene Ster in Zevenbergen and competes in the decathlon in the masters category. “I enjoy being an official and helping athletes to perform at their best” he says, explaining his motivation for dedicating so much time to the European Indoor Championships. “I don’t really feel any extra pressure at a big event. The rules are the same everywhere. And you’re allowed to take your time to make the right decisions.”
