The future of Hong Kong Officiating

Two hours before game time in a room out of sight, handshakes and conversation of travel, family and recent games take place. The process of emptying a tightly packed bag takes place in a small designated area, where a pair of dress shoes sits right next to a pair of ice skates and a suit jacket and tie hang neatly on a hook next to a freshly washed uniform. Conversation and laughs turn to earphones and silence as these individuals get ready to take the ice, each with their own unique way of preparing the body and mind. When the knock on the door comes to order this team to take the ice, the heart rate goes up further from an already elevated rate; but you would never guess it looking at the calm, emotionless exterior. High fives and handshakes again take place before a long walk to an open door where a perfectly smooth ice sheet awaits. The team hits the ice running…one…two…and three.

Yes you’ve read correctly, there are only three members in this team. A team not represented by one nation, but of three. These are not the players, but the Game Officials and this will be the scene as the IIHF World Championship tournaments come into full swing. Hong Kong recently was host to the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship Division II Group B Qualifier, one of dozens of cities this year to host such an event. Aside from the players, these tournaments pull some of the best game officials in the Asia region to showcase their skills and further their development. But before these lucky individuals got the nod to represent their nations in a high level international tournament, they had to start somewhere. They had to drop their first puck, call their first offside and assess their first penalty.

Most people do not notice the game officials, but those involved will note that Hong Kong is not represented in the pool of game officials for this tournament. However, there is tremendous work being done to change that, and it all starts where the assigned game officials started; from the ground up. The Hong Kong Ice Hockey Officials Association knows that the grass roots programs in ice hockey are of utmost importance, as this is where the future lies.

If you take a look at the future of officiating in Hong Kong you’ll see a promising young group of individuals who are learning to develop their craft. Who are those individuals looking to advance to the next level? Look no further than here; introducing Mr. Otto Chan, Mr. Robert Wong, Mr. Steve Leung and Ms. Tracy Wong. These individuals have been working tremendously hard to improve their craft and are hopeful to soon represent Hong Kong in international competition. Each of them began playing ice hockey in Hong Kong at a young age with the exception of Tracy, who began playing in Canada.

Otto Chan is a 20 year old student who also happens to be the captain of Team Principal, which plays in the Principal Standard League, has taken a special focus in the Linesman role.

“At first I decided to take a referee course to learn more about penalties. Through this I learned more about what can and cannot be done on the ice and it has turned me into a better player.”