Australian Official Playing Key Role in Tokyo

📷 | Greg DZIOBA (Umpire - CAN)

As our athletes continue to break records on the court at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, another Australian is playing a crucial role at the para-table tennis venue, albeit outside of the spotlight reserved for the Paralympians.

Stephen Gillespie is one of the three Deputy Referees appointed by the International Table Tennis Federation to officiate at the para-table tennis competition at the Tokyo Games. Gillespie’s role is to ensure that the event proceeds according to plan and without incidents, working with Referee Yingqiu Zhang (CHN) alongside a dedicated squad of 22 International Umpires and 13 technical officials from Japan.

“This is my first time at a major international event like the Olympics or the Paralympic Games and I am certainly pleased to have been appointed,” said Gillespie, who also leads the NSW Umpire Association.

“The best thing about the Games so far has been the ability to work with an amazing team of technical officials from all around the world, some of which I have worked with previously.”

 
Officials don’t always get acknowledged at sporting events, despite providing an essential service and being a crucial element of the sport. Success stories like Gillespie’s - who was also named as the 2017 Fran Keyhole Official of the Year by Table Tennis Australia - can inspire people who are considering becoming umpires to start their journey. 

The expert International Referee said he particularly enjoyed the atmosphere of the event in Tokyo, with the added bonus of having a front-seat view for the remarkable success achieved by Aussie athletes on the court. 

“The ability to see some of the Australian matches live has certainly been a bit of a buzz, but I will treasure the overall experience at these Games,” Gillespie said.

“Officiating at World Championships or World Tour events is also exciting, but the big difference with the Paralympics is the level of respect between all of the players, and their joy at being at the event.” 

Gillespie will have one more chance to see the Australian team going for gold live as the Men’s Team / Women’s Team class 9-10 play their gold medal playoffs tomorrow at the Tokyo Metropolitan Arena.

Top picture: Umpire briefing at the Tokyo 2020 Paralmypic Games - L-R:  Deputy Referee GILLESPIE Stephen (AUS), Deputy Referee LAPICQUE Francoise (FRA), Referee ZHANG Yingqiu (CHN), and Deputy Referee GARRO Silvia (CRC).

Original Article Published on 2/9/21 on TTA website: https://www.tabletennis.org.au/news/australian-official-playing-key-role-in-tokyo/