Top NZ Official in Key Role at Moscow World Champs

9 August 2013, 10:06AM
Athletics New Zealand

After more than 30 years as a respected athletics official New Zealander Trevor Spittle is set to be rewarded at the World Championships in Moscow when he takes up a role as one of ten ITO’s (International Technical Officials) at the IAAF’S flagship event staged from Aug 10-18.

Trevor’s appointment caps a long and distinguished career in the sport – which began back in the early 80s after he answered a plea from organisers for volunteer timekeepers while attending a meeting his children were competing in.

“It was so cold in the stands and warmer out in the field that I got out there (and volunteered), and I’ve never been back in the stands since,” jokes Trevor of how he first got involved in the world of officiating at Christchurch’s QEII Stadium.

Trevor, who is also deputy chairman of Athletics NZ, quickly enjoyed the camaraderie of life as an official not only among his peers but also the athletes.

He developed a passion of the throws, in particular, and adds:   “I always feel the athletes in the throws relate differently to the officials compared to other events,” explains Trevor. “The athletes become more involved (with the officials) probably because they are always milling around the circle. In an event like the pole vault they are much further away from officials and track athletes are only seen by officials a few seconds and then they are gone.”

Gradually Trevor rose through the officialdom ranks, rising to the status of competition director for several meeting and he was one of half a dozen New Zealand-based officials invited to work at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

His interest in working at major international competitions piqued, he sat and passed his examinations as an (ATO) Area Technical Official in 2002 and three years later qualified as an ITO – one of only 45 officials across to globe to hold such a position.

In recent years, Trevor has worked at World Youth and World Junior Championships and was also chief ITO at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, but Moscow will be his first experience of working at a senior world track and field championships.

In the Russian capital, Trevor will be allocated a number of events to oversee across the nine-day competition. It will be his job to check that the rules are being adhered to by all concerned.

“I’ll watch every attempt, score the results myself and check that the recorders have done their part as well,” he explains. “I’ll sign off the officials’ results, check the athletes have all returned post the event and then write a report of the event back to the chief ITO. It is more of an overseeing role and I’ll sit back and observe until I find something critical to the athletes has gone wrong.”

The role can present its challenges.  Issues can arise like the wrong implements being used or measuring equipment failing during a competition.  Yet Trevor insists the biggest challenge that an ITO faces is the language barrier.

“This issue will almost certainly happen in Moscow because I’m sure many of the officials will not speak English. “This will be the biggest challenge for the athletes, too.”

So what qualities are needed to be a good ITO?

“The biggest quality is you need to know the rules, but you also need to know how to activate them with a calming influence and act as a mediator,” explains Trevor, who also worked as an ITO at the recent IPC World Championships in Lyon.

“As an ITO you need to be keep people settled, ensure things are done calmly and also to be able to think quickly on your feet and come up with a solution to resolve the issue.”

The 64-year-old Cantabrian (note, Trevor celebrates his 64th birthday on Aug 2) also doesn’t plan slowing down after Moscow. He plans to re-sit his ITO exam in London in October – the exam has to be undertaken by all ITO’s every four years – and after recently quitting his job in accountancy to focus more time on athletics he plans to devote even more time to the sport in future.

So why does he enjoy life as an official so much?

“I love being with the athletes to ensure they all get a fair competition and that no-one is advantaged or no-one is disadvantaged,” he says. “I just love seeing the athletes perform and being amongst them whether that be a children’s meeting in New Zealand or at a top international meeting.” 

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