National Officials Day - April 16th 2014

Say "Thanks" to a Sports Official today! 


photo: www.joernrohde.com

National Officials Day – April 16, 2014

We’re here so you can play! 

OTTAWA – April 16, 2014 – Have you said “THANKS” to a sports official today? Sports Officials Canada is proud to promote the second annual National Officials Day in Canada. The aim is to increase the awareness of the importance of officiating to sport and to promote respect of officials. 

“We hope that sport organizations, administrators, coaches, athletes and parents are taking time today to acknowledge the men and women who officiate our sports and to recognize their efforts and the tremendous impact they have on sport in this country.” said SOC President, Paul Deshaies. 

Earlier in the year, Canadians watched their athletes shine on the international stage at the Sochi Olympics and Paralympics. Hundreds of athletes and coaches - picked as our best - represented Canada at the biggest sporting event in the world. But there was another team in Sochi from Canada – a team of 53 technical officials representing 16 disciplines. They too were picked as the best, from the over 250,000 Canadian technical officials who help to keep sport running in this country. 

Over the weeks of the Olympics, we heard that “We all play for Canada”. Sports Officials are there so we can play; so we can enjoy the games we love. Take a moment today to say thank you to them. 

In fact there are over 900,000 Canadians who perform some sort of officiating duty each year. They’re someone’s Dad, Mom, brother, sister, aunt, uncle or just a friend. They’re at the rink, the gym, the field – wherever sport is taking place – at all hours of the day, 7 days a week and in all kinds of weather. For the majority, it is a volunteer activity – they give up their evenings, weekends and family time to do something that they love. They are the “keepers of the game”. It is their role to ensure fair play and safety for all participants. It is their dedication and passion for what they do which makes them an integral part of the sport system. 

Recent news reports indicate that it can be a thankless and sometimes rough job. Abuse and disrespect of officials can lead to low recruitment and retention figures in some sports. Disrespecting a sports official is never acceptable nor should it ever be considered “part of the game”. 

Sports Officials Canada has a special individual Partner rate today as well as several contests and draws for everyone including non-partners, partners and our Facebook friends. Details of all these projects are available at www.sportsofficials.ca 

Sports Officials Canada is a federally incorporated national organization dedicated to promoting excellence in sports officiating and represents Canadian technical officials as a national voice. For more information about SOC please visit their website at www.sportsofficials.ca or contact them at info@sportsofficials.ca 

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For information about National Officials Day/Sports Officials Canada please contact: 
Denise Pittuck 
Executive Director 
Sports Officials Canada 
denise.pittuck@sympatico.ca 
613-837-7298 or 613-878-7298 (cell)

 

 

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