It was an honour and privilege to attend the recent World Para Championships in London, and especially nice to see our own Scottish Athletes compete and take centre stage – Jo Butterfield (club throw – 4^th place), Stef Reid (T44 long jump – Gold Medal) , Sammi Kinghorn (T53 200m – Gold Medal and new world record and T53 100m – Gold Medal) and Maria Lyle (T35 100m – Bronze Medal and T35 200m Bronze Medal) – well done to them and to all the athletes who competed.

Several of our Scottish Officials (26) played key roles on the field of play, in the call room and behind the scenes at this event.  This included 5 Edinburgh Athletic Club officials who played their part to help deliver a very successful championship.

• Alistair Aitchison – National Technical Official Track
• Angeli Mehti – Call Room Steward:
• Brian Nisbet – National Technical Official Field
• Marc Ritchie – National Technical Official Field
• Moira Nisbet – National Technical Official Field

I had not done many Para events before this one and for some events it was the first time I had judged a specific duty but with the help and support of the team I was with made the occasion seem flawless. We had pre briefs with our Team Leader before the event to ensure we were all ok with our allocated duties and de briefs after the event to cover off what went well and what could have gone better.  As with all events we attend, there were challenges during the week, especially with long days when there were morning and evening sessions.  The evening sessions became even longer if there was an appeal made by an athlete, so the team would stay back until the result of the protest had been given, all very interesting as again I had never been involved in a protest situation – great to see the video replays which help determine the result.   Luckily our team only had one protest during the competition. Do you think we will ever get to this being acted upon like Wimbledon Tennis Hawk Eye where it is done there and then!  Then there was the terrible weather on the last night which reminded me of the last night at the CWG in 2014.  I am not sure how many of you watched the Channel 4 coverage of the games, but thought you would like to see the help we had when retrieving the implements, something we do not see at our Scottish Competitions, made being on retrieve so much easier, these vans did work well and the operators, well what can I say “dream job” for them.    

I have to say Team Work is key to the success of any competition and I know I speak on behalf of all EAC officials who attended this event we have all gained so much experiences from being there and doing our duty, and in doing so making so many new strong friendships with our fellow officials and athletes.

Volunteers lie at the heart of our sport, with Officials playing an integral part of the volunteer workforce. It is important that for our athletes that we provide the right level of training and experience to all our volunteers to ensure their journey is a successful one for them.  I urge parents, family and friends to become involved and support EAC to ensure our athletes get the best possible opportunities and have the best officials at their competitions.  Comments from Marc and Angeli about their volunteering experience:

Marc said “The games demonstrates the exciting and enjoyable opportunities and benefits volunteering can bring to peoples lives.”

Angeli said “It was an absolute privilege to be at the para athletics championships and come face to face with some of the finest athletes in the world. A great volunteering experience.

Alistair added,”An experience never to be forgotten. Para athletes show what can be achieved if you put your mind to it.

For me it was back to work on Tuesday for business as usual, and next week……onto the next event when we see the “Scottish Officials, including EAC officials”  heading back to London next Wednesday to do it all over again as we take on our respective roles at the World Championships which start on Friday 4^th August.

VOnce the Outdoor Season is over I will be arranging an officials meeting to discuss the track and field outdoor season where I will bring along some of our uniform (all looking pretty in pink) for you to see – hope to see you all then if not before (still a few Scottish Competitions before the season ends) – fingers crossed for the weather. 

Moira Nisbet

EAC Events Officials Co-ordinator