BEVERLY HILLS, April 23, (THEWILL) –Â Ahead of the start of the Olympics, in general, and the Football events, in particular, the FIFA Referees Committee has appointed 99 match officials (25 referees, 50 assistant referees, 20 video match officials and four support referees) from 51 countries to officiate the Olympic Football Tournaments of the 2020 Games.
Of the referees appointed, one female referee from Nigeria, Madu Ndidi Patience, made the cut but as one of the Support Referees, the others being Beida Dahane (Mauritania), Kimura Hiroyuki (Japan) and Rivet Maria (Mauritius).
On Wednesday, July 21, the women’s tournament opens with Great Britain facing Chile at the Sapporo Dome, and concludes with the gold medal game on 6 August 2021 with the final at the Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, which will also be the setting for the Olympic Games’ opening and closing ceremonies of the XXXII Olympiad.
For the men’s competition, hostilities begin on Thursday, July 22 with Egypt versus Spain at the Sapporo Dome, with the gold medal game taking place at the International Stadium, Yokohama on Saturday, August 7.
Before and during the Games, the preparation of the appointed match officials for these important competitions will be regularly and closely monitored by a team of technical trainers, including FIFA referees and video assistant referee (VAR) instructors, fitness coaches, physiotherapists and sports scientists.
These specialists are meant to provide the referees, assistant referees and video assistant referees with the best possible preparation and support to be able to execute their responsibilities with the utmost care.
For the first time ever, the Olympics will include the use of VAR technology. For the match officials, this is the next important step on the road to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, where the technology is also proposed to be employed.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
