D
RIVEN by British Athletics,
the UK has an increasing
reputation for the delivery
of successful major eventswith the Olympic and Paralympic
Games in 2012 followed by the
IAAF World Championships and the
World Para Athletics in 2017 the
stand-out highlights. What is maybe
less well known is that British
officials in track and field and
endurance are gaining international
recognition and are increasingly in
demand across the world.
Even before 2012 there was a
small group of technical officials
taking senior roles at IAAF, European
Athletics and IPC events. During
the following seven years both the
number of qualified international
officials in the UK and the range
of appointments they receive have
grown significantly – at a time when
the process of qualification and
selection has become ever more
rigorous.
All three international
federations now scrutinise the
officials’ performance more
closely than ever and this is
reported at executive level where
critical decisions about future
appointments are made.
Latest figures show that already
in 2019 some 53 international
appointments have been secured
by British officials compared
to 35 throughout 2018 and 44
during 2017. By ‘international’ we
mean officials who successfully
completed the training and
assessment necessary to be
appointed to the IAAF, European
Athletics or IPC panels.
One such official is Alison
Jordan who officiated at the World
Para Athletics Championships
in London, this year’s European
Indoors in Glasgow, last weekend’s
European Under-20 Championships
in Boras and later the Parapan
Championships in Lima for World
Para Athletics. She explains her
background: “I grew up in an
athletics family – my father was
a starter marksman. I started
out competing at club level but
following illness and injury, I moved
to officiating at a relatively early age.
“Being competitive I wanted to
achieve higher grades in the track
judge exams than my dad got in
his discipline exams! I only really
expected to be a track official at
club events, but I worked my way up
through the levels, qualifying about
eight years later at national level
and then got a call from British
Athletics asking me to submit an
application for the photo-finish and
technical official assessment panel
for European Athletics.
“I went off to Prague – a few days
before the 2015 Euro Indoors – not
really knowing what to expect. There
were 27 men plus me, the only
woman, being evaluated over the
three days. Assessment included
use of English, interaction with
others and our technical ability
measured during some practical
tests. I heard several weeks later I
had been validated for four years as
an international photo-finish judge.“Like most officials, I combine
my track and field duties with a
career and family commitments. I
have an eight-year-old who knows
immediately the blue trousers and
white polo come out that I am off
to an athletics event! I love the role
but it does involve a lot of juggling,
a supportive family and employer
and, of course, many, many years
gaining experience at club events
in all weather conditions!”
As well as the federation
appointments, local organising
committees (LOCs) and meeting
organisers will invite officials
directly to support their events.
At the recent Diamond League
meeting in Stockholm, Mark
Purser joined the officials’ team
as a starter. At 47, he is one of the
younger starters operating at the
highest level. He has had quite a
momentous year, having worked at
the indoor grand prix in Birmingham
and European Indoors in Glasgow
and he will be chief starter next
month at the Birmingham Diamond
League.
He explains his story: “I was
coming towards the end of
competing as a national level400m hurdler and my coaches at
Blackheath & Bromley suggested
I might like to train as a starter.
This was about 10 years ago and I
haven’t looked back.
“I didn’t really know what was
involved in the training but with
excellent support from Kent and
Surrey county athletics I worked
hard and progressed to level
four which I achieved three years
ago. It is important to get the
right guidance and with level four
starters, Peter Shilling and John
Freeman, I have learnt from the
very best. In Stockholm I worked
with Gordon Staines, another
international starter from the UK,
on his third stint there. I have made
some sacrifices, but I enjoy it and I
have worked hard to progress.”
All events rely on volunteers to go
ahead and hundreds of technical
officials deliver endless hours of
support – on a wet Wednesday
in Wigan or a soggy Saturday in
Surrey. The time commitment can
be a challenge with some events
starting on a Friday, for example.
Many years ago – when I came
into the sport – the civil service,
armed forces and schools, in
particular, gave employees time
off and encouraged volunteering.
This is much less common now
with people often using their annual
leave or losing income to fulfil
officiating duties.
But for those who show
commitment and determination
the rewards and opportunities are
there for some exciting international
adventures. However, we recognise
that it is the hundreds of technical
officials who turn up every week up
and down the country at grassroots
meetings who are the real unsung
heroes of our sport.n To find out more about
becoming an official, see uka.
org.uk/competitions/officialsUKA VIEW MALCOLM ROGERS
Taking the official route
Rewarding role: officials working at the Stockholm Diamond League this year
WORLD-CLASS EVENTS NEED
WORLD-CLASS OFFICIALS, SAYS
MALCOLM ROGERS, TECHNICAL
EVENT MANAGER FOR BRITISH
ATHLETICS’ MAJOR EVENTS TEAM