The 2nd AAA International Technical Officials Online Seminar was held on 26th June 2021. This Asian I.T.O. Seminar was the brain child of Mr. Kwan Kee, Chairman of the Asian Technical Committee and Secretary AAA Mr. Shuggumarran. A.D.C. Jakarta was the host of this seminar in which 45 Asian I.T.Os working in the following categories were provided an opportunity to enhance their knowledge.
- International Technical Official. I.T.O
- International Race Walking Judge. IRWJ
- International Starter IS
- International Photo Finish Judge IPFJ
The seminar was inaugurated by the Area President Gen Dahlan who expressed his gratitude towards the organizers of this event. He stated that online Webinars and activities provide an excellent learning platform especially during these days of the Pandemic. He advised the participants to share their knowledge and experiences with the entire group during this Webinar. Gen Dahlan hoped that as soon as the situation caused by the pandemic improves we can resort back to face to face activities.
Vadim Nigmatov shared a video record of incidents that happened during some past notable competitions. The participants were asked to identify infringements by the athletes during these incidents and justify their interpretations and verdicts about these unique occurrences. He also gave a holistic overview of the W.A. TOECS program.
The next speaker Mr. Yukio Seki shared a complete list of standard Athletic equipment required to conduct a National or International Athletics competition. He identified items and areas where compliance of weights and measures is mandatory for the conduct of a National or International Athletics event. It was agreed that the Asian Technical Committee would develop a guideline/manual for the organization of Athletics competitions and this document will be circulated among all the Area MFs.
He also talked about the class I & class II WA classification of Athletics stadiums and the level of competition held according to these classifications. Further Detailed information about the civil works and the synthetic track surface can be found in the W.A Track and Field facility manual. More quality control steps are being taken by W.A. to ensure quality installation and timely renovation or replacement of the certified synthetic track surface.
Mr. Kwan apprised the ITOs about cross country, mountain running, ultra-running and trail running competitions. This is a relatively new area of competition where winners are judged over distance and time, they sometimes have to run on sand, dust, trails, pathways, Forrest trails or footpaths. Different rules, regulations and procedures developed to test the athletic abilities of athletes and ensure safety of the runners during these competitions were discussed. Developing course designs, creating spectator viewing areas and effective crowd control methods were presented by the speaker.
Mr. Salman Butt Director Development AAA and Mr. Shuggumarran also talked with the participants and informed them of several online and face to face events that will be organized by AAA in the near future. At the conclusion of the seminar Secretary AAA thanked the Asian ITOs and assured the group that AAA will continue to provide learning opportunities and will invite ITOs to all AAA events.
