Abusing sports officials |01 July 2009

Verbal, physical or any kind of abuse has no place in sports. I agree with the entire article because it is true that sometimes spectators think that because they have paid for a ticket they have the right to say whatever they want or threaten sport officials.

In my career as an international boxing referee I have officiated in all the major boxing tournaments in the world. I have been verbally abused many times, mostly by coaches who think their athletes should have won.

This is why we are strict with them, but I have never been threatened by a spectator in the ring perimeter.
 
We, sport officials, are prone to make mistakes because we have to make decisions in one second. In all sport disciplines, when an assessment is made there is a certain percentage of mistakes committed during officiating and we (officials) accept the fact.

I agree with the article because during a competition on Thursday June 4 at the Anse Royale community centre, a spectator thought that because he had paid R25 for a ticket, he had the right to enter the ring perimeter and threaten me.

Nobody wants to be bullied. If so many people, especially spectators, are so good at officiating why don’t they step forward and show what they are capable of? We badly need excellent officials.

Therefore, it is my opinion that we must never condone these racist, drunken and anti-social crowd tactics.

Thank you

E. Folette