South Africa will have five local rugby referees representing us in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, these are among an elite group of international referees selected to officiate.
CapeTalk’s Kieno Kammies spoke to Aimee Barrett who is the only female from South Africa to do so and says she hopes to see more gender transformation on the field in future.
She and others referees are undergoing physical and technical preparation in Argentina ahead of the games, which kick off 5 August. She says that her love for rugby has grown over the years across the various codes in the country.
“Growing up in South Africa, rugby is our sport and passion. I’ve loved ever since I used to wake up on a Saturday and watched it all day.”— Aimee Barrett, rugby referee
She referees for sevens and standard 15 a side games for both male and female teams from different leagues and clubs.
Barrett says that it is important for her and the team to uphold international standards and South Africa’s professional values toward the game during the tournament.
Along with Craig Joubert, Rasta Rasivhenge, Marius van der Westhuizen and Ben Crouse, she will officiate at the Olympic Men’s (9-11 August) and Women’s Sevens (6-8 August) tournaments.
Listen to the full conversation from CapeTalk’s Breakfast with Kieno Kammies:
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