In land-based sports, officiating can be difficult whether it is basketball or skiing. But in aquatic sports, much physical contact cannot be seen whether it is water polo or open water swimming. In order to ensure an objective, fair competition, FINA depends on volunteers who spend time to study and become certified in their chosen sport.

To those unselfish individuals, thank you very much.

In open water swimming competitions, these officials can be in the registration area, onshore at the finish, with the timing company, on the radio, in boats or around turn buoys.

Certified FINA open water swimming officials include the following individuals from 61 countries:

AFG: Rohullah Maroug
ANG: Joaquim Costa, Francisco Sebastiao
ARG: Pablo Cosso, Pedro Gonzalez, Adriana Pacchiotti, Silvia Beatriz Dalotto, Jose Luis Ramos
AUS: Stella Carrara, Gary Shepherdson, Daryl Alan Wood, Julie McGinley, William John (Bill) Ford, Brian Hosford, Shelley Taylor-Smith, Richard Verboon, Brian Lawrence Dry, Robyn Lois Arblaster
BEL: Jozef Hufkens
BAN: Md. Golam Mostafa
BOL: Oscar G. Caballero Vaca
BRA: Christiane Fanzeres, Wilson Ribas Mattos, Ricardo Ratto, Marcelo Salem, Joao Bizerra, Henrique Borges, Sergio da Costa Castanho, Mauricio Cerveira, Antonio Carlos Mariante
BUL: Tanya Bogomilova, Tsekov Velislav Etskov, Tanya Bogomilova
CAN: Lyse Tremblay, Benoît Vincent, Daniel Leduc, Lucie Speich, Carole Thomas, Tony Trubiano, Sheila Marie Lencoe
CHN: Qingzhu Cao, Hong Ji, Jian Cheng Xu, Yucheng Zhou, Youhua Gu, Min Hua, Xiao Guang Yu, Jia Qian Yuan
CRC: Kathia Garcia Viales, Fernando Madrigal Anderson, Jose Federico Navarro Calvo
CRO: Milivoj Mirosavac, Andrea Rippl-Gotvald, Zeljko Roksandic, Toni Tadic
CUB: Placido Ferreiro Romero, Jose Luis Gonzalez Hernandez, Tomas Orlando Haces German, Jersy Rodriguez Calero
CYP: Petros Arestis, Philippos Georgakis, Vasilios Skouridis
CZE: Michal Moravec, Radek Taborsky, Kamila Svobodova, Jan Bazil, Michal Kindl, Jan Novotny, Pavel Srb, Zdenek Tobias, Kamila Svobodova
DEN: Lars Mejer Frederiksen, Lene Madegaard
ECU: Hector Cornejo Campoverde, Jorge Aurelio Delgado Panchana, Jorge Delgado
EGY: Farid Magdy, Kamal Mossa Mohamed
ESA: Gladys Olivia Mejia Garcia
ESP: Manuel Garcia, Antonia Gomez, Zaira Morales, Elena Osete, Elena Grinon Reina, Faustino Perez Martra, Patricio Sanchez Fernandez, Lorena Valles Vazquez, Ana Jaqueti, Eva Bernal
FAR: Jon Hestoy
FIJ: Dennis Miller
FIN: Matti Juvonen, Uula Torttila, Sami Wahlman
FRA: Michel Bonniol, Jean-Luc Citerne, Raymond Tappero, Jean-Louis Thorembey, Philippe Plouviez
GBR: Paul Kandall, Margaret Roberts, Hannah Smith, David Kim Weetman, Stephen William Gunter, Ian Keith Hodgson, Ralph Payne, Lesley Ann Prentice
GER: Ralf Gauger, Peter Haemmerle, Markus Klotz, Bodo Stoecker, Petra Hein, Franz Hein, Helmut Schindler, Klaus Woldtmann, Wilfred Fuchs, Martin Schneck
GRE: Sophia Psilolignon, Dimitris Kakalikas
GUA: Marco Dionicio Flores Hernandez, Jose Ismael Gonzalez Arias, Manuel Trinidad Melendez Ortiz
HKG: Siu Tong Lam, Ping Hang Szeto, Kam Tat Wilson Yeung, Chak Choi Leung, Chin Hung David Chiu, Hon Wai Ching, Man Chiu Ronnie Wong, Wai Kit Louis Wong,
HUN: Dr. Molnar Attila, Szabolcs Fodor, Hajos Gyula, Nemeth Zsolt, Rita Lazar, Csaba Toth
INA: Sudradjat Wiradihardja, Hermino Agustianus, Liza G. Januar, Ray Sani, Suroyo Suroyo, Djat Sudradjat Wiradihardja
IRQ: Mohand Aladan, Melad Alyonan, Khudar Khalaf, Majeed Tayawi
ISR: Hadar Ben-Dror, Eugenia Cohen Hadad, Fran Groumi, Aric Perry, Charlie Dolinko Yehezkel, Noam Zwi
ITA: Antonio Emanuele Baglio, Daniela Maddaloni, Harco Rebora, Elisabetta Ulivieri, Cristina Bianchi, Annalisa Bolteri, Daniela Fierro, Anna Rita Gramellini, Filomena Tammaro, Pietro Cecchetto
JPN: Osamu Kameda, Hajime Matsubayashi, Masahiro Sumi, Tamako Kihara, Daichi Suzuki,
KAZ: Artyom Belenkov, Kanat Tulekov, Nikolay Zagritsenko, Sergey Zagritsenko
KOR: Byung Woog An, Wonil Ha, Eui Sik Kim, Jongsoo Kim, Dong Yeob Byun, Sung Ho Kim, Dong Woon Lee, Sang Wook Park
LTU: Valerijus Belovas
MAC: Ho Ian Chan, Chong Kit Iu, Chi Jeong Ng, Ka Kin Tai
MAR: Mohcine El Mteri
MEX: Enrique Borrego, Jose Luis Borrego, Jorge Antonio Cesar
NCA: Juan Armando Castellon Zelaya, Miguel Angel Castillo Muniz, Omar Nunez-Aguirre, Maritza de Los Angeles Vargas Estrada, Silvia Patricia Miranda, Francisco Venerio
NED: Robertus Franciscus Maria Van de Kragt, Nicolaas Cornelis van Maanen, Dirk Jan Sohl, Elsje Struylaart
NZL: Ann Rae Benseman, Brent Paul Singer, John Graeme West, Dave Beattie, Paul Matson, Matt Meehan
OMA: Al Alawi Abdul Monem
POR: Jose Pedro Brandao, Alexandre Fernandes, Carlos Jesus, Luis Medalhas, Antonio Amador, Paulo Frischknecht, Dalila Lira, Graciete Pires, Carolina Ribeiro, Mario Nunes
QAT: Talal Al Ansary, Abdullah Al Mahmoud, Yousef Alhumaidi, Mohammad Al-Sheep
RSA: Ronald Bakhuis, Robert Jacobs, Briane Reynolds, William John Vorster
RUS: Alexey Akatiev, Georgy Erokhin, Sergey Kulikov, Olga Paramonova
SRB: Nikola Danev, Branislav Kovacevic, Vojislav Mijic, Panovic Miroslav
SLO: Enio Vivoda, Anka Kozamernik, Matjaz Godec
SRB: Rajko Glusac, Zoran Golusin Vukovic, Dragan Higl, Sasa Sava Mircetic, Vojislav Mijic
SRI: Polwaththa Siriyalage Ajantha, Vidalath Gedara Mudiyan Selage Nishshanka Ajith Kumara, Sumith Mahinda Ranasinghe, Singharage Janaka Sadaruwan Silva, R. M. N. Wasantha Bandara, Kalpani Kadinappulige, Samaranayakage Nadeeka Kumari, Piramanage Naradamel
SUI: Rolf Ingold, Vidette Villars-Pelzer, Elena Nembrini
SYR: Hassan Amin, Ziad Hadeed, Ayman Nemer, Michal Al Kassar
TUR: Bahtiyar Ozcaldiran
UAE: Khamis Al Otaiba, Ahmed Salem Al Zahmi, Ahmed Mobarak Al Zahmi, Faisal Abdul Al Marzouqi, Abdulla Mohamed Al Waitibi, Jasem Mohamed Shehki, Abdulla Mubarar Zahmi, Ismaeel Abdul Reheem Saad, Khamis Mubarak Saeed, Mohamed Adham Ghallab, Mohammed Sulaiman Farat
URU: Alicia Olga Lamboglia Caprario
USA: Eugene F. (Chip) Carrigan, Shannon Gillespy, Dr. Cecil Gordon, Matthew Wilson, Stephen ‘Sid’ Cassidy, Mark McCaw, Michael Saltzstein, John (Jay) Thomas, Rick Walker
VEN: Mafer Caridad Palomo Cuevas, Ruben Dario Rodriguez Carvajal, Mafer Palomo Cueias

FINA Masters Officials for open water swimming include the following individuals:

AUS: Judith Crawford (Referee/Starter), Peter Maloney (Referee/Judge/Starter), Hilary Arber (Referee/Judge/Starter)
CAN: Paul Jenkins (Referee), Jeffrey S. Kafka (Referee/Judge/Starter)
CHI: Jorge Burgos (Referee)
CHN: Li Xiadhuan (Judge), Xing Zhou-Yan (Judge), Li Chng-Jun (Judge), Wang Hu (Judge)
CRC: Alberto Gutierrez Can (Referee), Kattia Garcia Viales (Referee), Fernando Madrigal Anderson (Referee), Roberto Barboza Zamuria (Referee/Judge)
FRA: Louis Venzi (Judge)
GBR: Christine Johnston (Referee), Douglas Watson Milne (Referee), Sheron Rose Spibey (Referee), Michael John Hemmings (Referee/Judge)
HKG: Agnes Tsang (Referee/Judge/Starter), Szeto Ping Hang (Referee/Judge)
ITA: Luigi Terranova (Judge), Alfonso Incoronato (Judge)
KOR: Dong-Yeob Byun (Judge), Sung Ho Kim (Judge), Sim Sung Sub (Judge), Sung Ho Kim (Judge)
POR: Elisabete Filipa Jesus Pereira Marques (Referee), Graciete Maria Mesquita Cruz Pires (Referee)
SRI: H. Hewage Chulasiri (Referee/Judge), E. J. Rodney Silva (Judge), P.S. Premasiri Dayananda (Referee)
SUI: Andrea Gyorgy Jacobi (Judge)
SWE: Lars Edstedt (Referee)

On behalf of every competitor in the water, we are sincerely appreciative of your passion for and commitment to the sport.

Photo of Sid Cassidy.

Copyright © 2010 by World Open Water Swimming Association