Emma, Dot get Commonwealth call-ups
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday July 25, 2022 16:00
Kgaboetsile will be in charge for badminton while Okatch will be responsible for the middlewoman of the basketball court.
Okatch will be making her Commonwealth Games debut while Kgaboetsile officiated at the past two games. Speaking to Sport Monitor, Okatch said she received nomination from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
“Only five referees were nominated for these games,” she said. She also explained the offer is her second nomination for 3x3 since she got her license in 2020.
Okatch said she is looking forward to learning and growing at the Commonwealth. “I am so used to the traditional basketball format but this is still a bit new for me,” she said. Okatch was excited about the call up. “I am so excited about it. It is something I hoped for when I saw the last games in Gold Coast and I wished I could also one day get to officiate at them.
It is yet another dream come true,” she said. Kgaboetsile officiated in Glasgow in 2014 and Gold Coast in 2018. He will be going into the Games with a huge experience but that does not mean he will be taking things easy. “I am happy about this opportunity because each games are unique,” he said.
Kgaboetsile noted that Commonwealth Games are not the biggest in badminton since badminton powerhouses like China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Denmark are not there. “So to me Commonwealth Games are lower than the World Championships which I did last year.
But the Commonwealth atmosphere is different because many different sporting codes are competing. But in badminton each year is a challenge since the laws keep on changing. Like these days we have hawk eye or television replays which means an umpire has to be spot on,” he said. As he prepares for the games, the umpire had to learn new vocabulary and past videos to address different situations and scenarios.