They are also selected to participate in the Olympics: the referees. Three of those selected for the badminton events were chosen at the Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande club, near Rennes, in Brittany. A reward for this amateur club. For the lucky three, the excitement is there, as is the pressure.
Start of training and first exchanges of steering wheels in the imposing gymnasium of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande, in the Rennes area. On either side of the nets, rackets in hand, players of all ages and levels compete. Few know that three referees from the club will officiate during the Olympic Games.
Yet there they are, sitting in the stands, observing the exchanges. Their applications were accepted. Frédéric, Gaëlle and Eric will referee badminton at the Olympics. “ I had a little hope, really little, because as a Frenchman, you don’t normally officiate in your own country. », confides Éric, involved in the club for almost 30 years. However, it was indeed an email from the organization of the Games that Eric received one morning in December, “ I read it twice, because I wanted to be sure I understood that it was a real Olympic selection! »
So confirmation. During the two weeks of events, and as for nearly 20 years, Éric will be the referee, “ that is, I supervise the competition. In a way, I am the head of the referees. Because it is we who decide which referee will referee which match, who will referee the final “, he explains. The deadline is approaching, the stress is growing, but Eric is used to officiating at world tournaments. He also has the status of international arbitrator.
A mix of arbitration experiences
This is not the case for Gaëlle. This math teacher has less experience. She has been a linesman at the club for only a year. And here she is already sent to the Olympic Games. “ They explained to us that they wanted to have a mix of experience, so each time, they take a few less experienced people, as is my case. “, she explains.
But no stress, because Gaëlle will referee several tournaments in France between now and the summer to train. And she won’t be alone during the Games because she will have a sponsor. He will observe him, give him advice to improve his refereeing. She already knows how vigilant she will have to be. “ I’ve already been a linesman when I was a little tired, and it didn’t work at all. Sometimes the steering wheel falls on the line and I’m not focused at all so I don’t know. Now I know that on the one hand, I must be rested, and on the other hand I must be fixed on my line for the duration of the point. » And every detail counts: “ I changed my glasses three weeks ago, so I’m ready! ”, she laughs.
Amateur world award
The best team of the Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande badminton club plays in the fourth national division, far from the professional world. Three referees selected for the Games, it is therefore quite a recognition, greets the president of the club, Frédéric Deléon. “ It is a reward from the amateur world. This rewards the work that goes into running a club like ours on a daily basis, with nearly 300 members. »
Another Frédéric, a hospital nurse, will also be a lines judge, a privilege, because “ we have this chance to be as close as possible to the energy of the athlete, to the point that we experience their emotions “, he said. Frédéric will also experience emotions, and will not keep them to himself. “ I really want to share this with those around me, if only with the young people at the club, to make them want to also become referees in a major competition. »
This desire is already a reality, because since their selection, several licensees have indicated their wish to join the club’s refereeing channels.
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