At the recent ITF Sports World Games Korea 2023, Master Fernando Perez played an essential role as Referee Coordinator, a role he has been playing for a considerable time. This responsibility is part of his participation in the ITF tournament committee, led by Grand Master Néstor Galarraga, and his collaboration with Grand Master José Maidana, director of arbitration of ITF.
One of the crucial aspects of any international competition is the selection and assignment of referees. In the case of the World Games, each country initially appoints referees who will represent their respective national organizations. Then, once in Korea, the arbitration committee conducts a thorough selection. This process is based not only on the graduations of the referees but also on their international experience and the accumulated knowledge of each of them throughout previous events. In addition, efforts are made to ensure that in each competition area, there are referees of different nationalities to ensure fairness in the event.
Comparing the competition in Korea in 2023 with the previous edition in Amsterdam in 2022, Master Perez points to a significant improvement in performance. In Korea, a new electronic system for fighting competitions was implemented which, despite some connectivity problems, worked quite well. This technological advance marked a step forward in the efficiency of the competition.
Working at the World Games is always special, and it is even more so in the cradle of Taekwon-Do, Korea. For Master Fernando Perez, these experiences are unique and take forever. It highlights the thrill of sharing important moments, such as wearing the Hanbok (traditional Korean dress, on which the Dobok used in the Taekwon-Do is based), at the opening ceremony.
Finally, for those who aspire to work in the organization of referees at international sporting events, Master Fernando Perez offers a piece of fundamental advice: professionalization.
He suggests that it is essential to become experts in the various functions of arbitration, travel to international events whenever possible, gain experience and constantly work on error minimization. In addition, it emphasizes that arbitration cannot be coordinated, either at the international or national level, if all the functions to be performed by an arbitrator are not fully known. Training and thorough knowledge are the basis for detecting and correcting failures, as well as giving appropriate indications that improve the quality of sporting events.
