TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2024
Ajit John
PANJIM: Shikha Pathak, an international technical official from Goa has been selected as an official for the Jiu-Jitsu Paris Grand Prix scheduled to be held between April 26 and 29. She is the only Asian referee who has been selected for this championship.
Speaking to O Heraldo Pathak said, “It was my dream. Europeans usually dominate in these disciplines so it's a great privilege for me to work with the best ITO team”. Selections for the championships are based on the performance in the previous championship. The officials are all evaluated by the head referees in every championship.
Officials have to express their interest by first registering for championships. The technical committee of the International Jujitsu Federation then shortlists the officials based on their overall performance. This is another bright spot in Shikha's career as an official which commenced in 2018. Prior to that she was a sportswoman competing in Jiu-Jitsu.
After the tournament in Paris, Pathak will leave for Abu Dhabi to officiate in the Asian Championship. This is not the first time she has been accorded such an honour. She was one of two Asian officials to officiate at the World Combat Games held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last year.
A resident of Vasco, Pathak’s path to officialdom has been marked by her career as a sportswoman which she said was marked by poor quality referring. She said, "I decided to show the way to the others. I wanted to show them that one could be straight and do a good job.”
She gave up competing in 2014 and took up coaching but had to give it up after marriage because it meant a lot of time away from home. She later spent two years as an assistant professor at the Don Bosco, Panjim where she handled physical education. As an official who has proved her confidence she has been also given the responsibility of training more referees in South Asia. She trains personnel in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan and even countries like Vietnam, Philippines and even Turkey.
