safeTy First
As referees, one of our primary responsibilities during games is to ensure that the players remain safe, but who looks out for the referees?
The obvious answer is ourselves: we train our bodies to keep fit, study the rules, watch videos and discuss situations with colleagues throughout the season so during in-game situations we are at the peak of our abilities, ready to deal with whatever comes our way.
Of course there are times when accidents (or incidents) occur - every referee I know has either had their toes rolled over by a wheel, fallen over advertising boards or gone backwards over a chair (or all 3 in my case!) but those are few and far between. Accidents DO happen though (sorry Maurizio!) https://youtu.be/QcRW2SEafBw
But what about the safety off the court?
A number of stories have been emerging from Rio about the safety of the athletes and officials. Swimmers being held up by fake police officers, car accidents resulting in the death of a German canoeing coach and judokas being robbed in broad daylight at an ATM have all been widely reported.
Obviously these stories plant seeds of worry in my family's mind, as well as mine and justifiably so. Rest assured, even if time off was allowed for my wife or school-age son, knowing that Rio is not the safest of places means my family will NOT be accompanying during the Paralympics. They will have to keep an eye out for me on Channel 4 instead!
Friends, family and colleagues have all offered their advice on the situation - don't take your DSLR camera, don't carry large amounts of money, be careful if going out wearing your Rio 2016 uniform, don't have your phone out too much, travel in groups of people and not alone etc etc. Some have even gone so far as to suggest I should live entirely in the Village and not go out other than to referee my appointed games.
The bottom line is that I will do everything I can to remain safe, whilst trying to get as much as possible from the whole experience. Life is full of risk; luckily my regular job requires for me to be aware of risks at all times. Hopefully that puts me in a better position to be cautious but enjoy everything that the wonderful city of Rio de Janeiro has to offer.
I would like to take a trip up to Christ the Redeemer, spend some time on Ipanema or Copacabana beach and also go out and see some other Paralympic events when not required to be in one of the arenas, but I'd better follow my own advice from the title: 'Safety First'.
The obvious answer is ourselves: we train our bodies to keep fit, study the rules, watch videos and discuss situations with colleagues throughout the season so during in-game situations we are at the peak of our abilities, ready to deal with whatever comes our way.
Of course there are times when accidents (or incidents) occur - every referee I know has either had their toes rolled over by a wheel, fallen over advertising boards or gone backwards over a chair (or all 3 in my case!) but those are few and far between. Accidents DO happen though (sorry Maurizio!) https://youtu.be/QcRW2SEafBw
But what about the safety off the court?
A number of stories have been emerging from Rio about the safety of the athletes and officials. Swimmers being held up by fake police officers, car accidents resulting in the death of a German canoeing coach and judokas being robbed in broad daylight at an ATM have all been widely reported.
Obviously these stories plant seeds of worry in my family's mind, as well as mine and justifiably so. Rest assured, even if time off was allowed for my wife or school-age son, knowing that Rio is not the safest of places means my family will NOT be accompanying during the Paralympics. They will have to keep an eye out for me on Channel 4 instead!
Friends, family and colleagues have all offered their advice on the situation - don't take your DSLR camera, don't carry large amounts of money, be careful if going out wearing your Rio 2016 uniform, don't have your phone out too much, travel in groups of people and not alone etc etc. Some have even gone so far as to suggest I should live entirely in the Village and not go out other than to referee my appointed games.
The bottom line is that I will do everything I can to remain safe, whilst trying to get as much as possible from the whole experience. Life is full of risk; luckily my regular job requires for me to be aware of risks at all times. Hopefully that puts me in a better position to be cautious but enjoy everything that the wonderful city of Rio de Janeiro has to offer.
I would like to take a trip up to Christ the Redeemer, spend some time on Ipanema or Copacabana beach and also go out and see some other Paralympic events when not required to be in one of the arenas, but I'd better follow my own advice from the title: 'Safety First'.