Paris Olympics 2024: Hongkonger Edmond Ho to head 3x3 basketball refereeing crew in his second Games and as only Asian man
- Ho, who officiated at the women’s final in Tokyo, will lead a team of 6 women and 5 men that will work across 68 matches
- The 44-year-old’s ‘ultimate target’ would be to referee the men’s gold medal match, but that would be up to FIBA, he says
From officiating in the first-ever 3x3 basketball match in Olympics history, as well as the women’s final in Tokyo, international referee Edmond Ho Ming-tat is taking a step up this summer.
The Hongkonger will be attending his second Games in Paris this July, and to put the cherry on the cake, he is heading to the French capital as the officiating crew chief, or head referee.
Ho is the only Asian man among 11 officials, containing six women and five men, at the Place de la Concorde where a total of 68 games will be played before the men’s and women’s winners are decided.
Two more Asians, one from China and the other from South Korea, are on the women’s team while the rest of the crew are from Europe, Africa and the United States.
“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I could never really feel the ambience of the Games in Tokyo,” he said. “I didn’t get to see what I used to from the television.
“So, I am eager to see what a proper Olympic Games would look like. The atmosphere, the level of enthusiasm and involvement of spectators, and our level of participation in enjoying the Games could be very different.”