On Friday 5th December, World Squash Officiating (WSO) hosted the third edition of its Women in Refereeing Day at the Milwaukee Hong Kong Squash Open. Delivered as part of the LA28 Women in Refereeing Initiative, which aims to develop a minimum of six world class female Referees, the event showcased the importance of structured female officiating development while offering opportunities for interaction and networking.
Bringing together attendees from Hong Kong, China, New Zealand, Malaysia and China, the day served as an inspirational environment for female Referees and stakeholders, with experiences and challenges discussed throughout. It served as a key opportunity for female referees and those involved in squash to address the barriers to female involvement and progression, as well as develop their basic refereeing and decision-making skills.
The day was opened by Andrea Santamaria, who leads the Women in Refereeing Initiative, shining a light on the importance of the day and the need for female development structures within national officiating programs. After a morning of discussions and interactive decision-making, the group were lucky to hear from several key speakers who delivered presentations on their journeys as officials and administrators.
Active referees Pinky Li, Janet Udy, and Adriana Daud all presented to the group, highlighting their key successes as Referees and outlining the journey they have taken to get there, with the aim of inspiring the group to continue pushing their refereeing journeys further. Heather Deayton, a long-standing figure of Squash in Hong Kong, delivered an insightful presentation, sharing stories from her past roles developing the sport in Hong Kong with the Hong Kong Squash Association and Hong Kong Football Club, with a focus on driving gender equality and providing women with access to play Squash.
One of the key outcomes of the day centred around the opportunity for the attendees to connect with one another through conversations and networking, meeting others from different nations and collaborating on how we as members of the game can make improvements to drive equality forward. Having the opportunity to connect with, and learn from, others, proved to be as valuable as the knowledge shared by our Professional Referees.
The event was supported by the IOC Solidarity Fund, which provides assistance for development programmes, including those focusing on gender equality. As squash heads towards its Olympic debut, programs like the Women in Refereeing Initiative are imperative to ensure that female Referees are empowered and provided with clear pathways to reach the world stage.
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