Chris Cohen: officiating trailblazer

Continuing our series of interviews with British officials who will be volunteering at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, we got the chance to ask Chris Cohen a few questions about his officiating journey and experiences along the way.

This year is a notable one for Chris – not only is he celebrating 50 years of officiating, but he has also been selected for the first time as Technical Delegate (TD) at an Olympic Games. The TD is the most senior competition management position and Chris is the first British official to be TD at an Olympics AND a World Championships! His role is to oversee the organisation and admin of the competition.

What makes officiating so special for you?

"The people. Both athletes and officials. I suppose I am still that frustrated athlete that I’ve been since I stopped competing and I still (I think) understand what athletes need to help them perform at their best."

"I’ve met some wonderful people along the way, from countries across the world. Without fail, they have the same wishes we have, the same ambitions and I’ve made friends for life in so many countries as well as my own."

This year marks 50 years as an official for you, what would you say to your 1970s self if you could go back in time?

"Take every opportunity that is offered to you, whether it is something you have never done before or something you have done regularly but in a different place or a different competition."

"Sometimes new experiences can be stressful but you don’t learn or improve unless you put yourself under stress sometimes, just like athletes. Whether you want to become an international official or help your club, the best way to do that is to improve yourself and your officiating."

You still officiate at grassroots level in for example at the County Champs. What's your favourite thing about those events?

"Being involved in competition is the same at whatever level and it’s good fun to officiate at local events. I don’t have to travel! I get to do real officiating – holding one end of a tape measure, raking the pit, just doing what I’m told to do rather than running the competition."

"I also get to be insulted by friends asking if I can still remember how to do normal stuff! I don’t get to do it often enough because I’m so busy doing international events but I enjoy it when I do."

You often work with local officials prior to a big international events, what challenges do you face?

Chris revealed that there are often misunderstandings and different expectations when teaching officials in the run-up to major championships. In some countries officials are only trained (if at all) in one event, and sometimes in only one aspect of that role; "for example 'I only put the bar on in the high jump'; 'I only measure in the long and triple jump' – well, can you measure in the discus? – 'oh no, I couldn’t do that, it’s different.'"

However, whether qualified or not, Chris tells us that almost all volunteers he's met around the world are keen and enthusiastic and want to do their best.

Chris asked one judge at a World Championship to look after the clock to make sure the athlete threw the discus within the one-minute allowance and then to watch the landing of the discus to make sure the athlete hadn’t left the circle before it landed. His first objection was that he couldn’t do two jobs at once until Chris explained that he would have finished the first before he needed to do the second. His next objection was that he couldn’t see that far. As this was an evening training session, Chris asked him what he could see in the sky. When he said it was the moon, Chris replied that if he could see that far he should be able to see a discus land!

Chris explained how he started out in officiating, and provides advice for officials at the start of their journey.

"When I started out seriously officiating, I was lucky to run into some incredibly generous senior officials who were willing to advise and encourage me. I had opportunities to do different jobs at a variety of competitions from youngsters to masters and including para events."

It's worked for Chris so it is not surprising that one of his pieces of advice is to work out who you trust to support you on your journey and ask for help. Most officials will support you to make progress and help you to be the best you can be. His top tips are:

• Don’t be afraid of taking the next step.
• Take risks in your officiating journey and try any new events you get chance to do.
• Take any advice that is offered and analyse it before acting on it.

And where do you go from here? What is still on your officiating wish-list?

"I was Competition Director for the Tokyo Olympics in an empty stadium. I would love to go back as an official in any role, just to be part of an event in that stadium, in that city, with a huge crowd enjoying athletics. I think Japan and Tokyo deserve that opportunity and I would love to be there when it happens."

We probably won't see Chris on the television throughout the Games but be assured that he will be keeping all the cogs behind the scenes running like clockwork in Paris! We wish him all the best and it is fair to say that the officiating community are very proud of Chris and what he has achieved.

Top and UKA Champs photos by Mark Shearman.
Other photos public domain with permission.