Latest update April 12th, 2026 12:50 AM
Local female football referee heightens preparation for Olympic Games
Leading local football referee Dianne Ferreira-James has been heightening her preparation for officiating duties at the Beijing Olympic Games next month.
Back last Sunday from a hectic high altitude Concacaf U-20 Tournament in Puebla Mexico, which was won by Canada 1-0 over USA with Mexico being the other team to qualify, Ferreira-James, is preparing for a mandatory fitness test next week.
She informed Kaieteur Sport that, “It’s been really testing for me preparing for my second Olympic Games. FIFA has decided that all the referees must do a Pre Olympic Fitness Test in their respective Confederations.
CONCACAF male assistant referees and female referees and assistant referees selected, must run on July 15th in Trinidad with the test to be conducted by FIFA Instructors.”
She disclosed that any referee failing this test will not go to Beijing and their respective associations will have to pay all expenses including the flight, accommodation etc for the replacement official.
Highlighting the seriousness of the fitness test Ferreira-James pointed out, “For the men if the referee fails the entire trio go home, but if an assistant fails he will be replaced by another assistant who must pass the Test and the latter applies for the women.
This may be a new method of FIFA for future major tournaments, because usually the Fitness Test in conducted on arrival.”
During her Mexico sojourn, Ferreira-James officiated in games everyday for six days before the semi-finals. She carried the whistle in four games and served in one as 4th Official including the semi-finals, Canada vs. Mexico and 3rd place playoff Mexico vs Costa Rica.
Training sessions started from 07:30 am, while debriefing took place from 8:00 pm -10:30 pm. She opined of the hectic schedule, “Really no time for anything else except wash your gears and have it ready for 09:50 am stadium departure.”
The football referee informed that, “Many persons got ill as the altitude was higher than Juarez in May and very cold. I tried to remain healthy and focused but in the end contracted a flu like illness which left me weak and drained.”
She will leave on Monday, July 14, for Trinidad, where the Fitness Test will be held on Tuesday, July 15, and start the CONCACAF U-17 tournament from July 17.
She is expected to return to Guyana on the evening of July 28 and leave early the next day for Beijing China via New York.
“That alone will tell you that I will arrive in Beijing tired and drained. But it’s all part of this job of being a referee and I am mentally ready to deal with it.
My main goal is to stay healthy, 100% focus and referee each game on it’s merit trying to make it to the finals,” she disclosed.
A policewoman by profession, Ferreira-James informed that she has dedicated 2008 to her dad (slaughtered in the Bartica massacre) who wanted her to officiate in the Olympics, family, friends and colleagues.
So far this year, she has officiated in two major tournaments, the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Finals in Juarez, Mexico and CONCACAF U-20 Finals in Puebla, Mexico.
Her performance on the pitch has been of its usual high standard which she promises to take to the CONCACAF U-17 tournament in Trinidad and Tobago July 17 – 28 and the Olympic Games
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