Cook Islands Assistant Referee, Terry Piri, will be action alongside Tahitian duo referee Kader Zitouni and Assistant Referee Paul Ahupu.
Piri could hardly contain his excitement as he looked ahead to a busy two week programme in China.
“For me this is an incredible opportunity and is a starting point to being recognised as a top FIFA assistant referee,” says Piri.
“The Summer Youth Olympic Games is a chance where I would like to make my family and country proud,” he continued.
The event attracts more than 3,500 youth athletes competing in 26 sports over two weeks from August 16th to 28th.
Kicking off on August 15th the football competitions will serve as an integral prelude to the Youth Olympic Games itself, a multisports event aimed at preparing adolescent athletes for one day realising their Olympic dreams.
Each football tournament will feature six teams, representing a FIFA Confederation; representing Oceania will be Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea.
Vanuatu U-15 compete in the Boys’ Football Tournament while Papua New Guinea U-15 shape up in the Girls’ competition where they face Slovakia and Venezuela at the Wutaishan Stadium.
Papua New Guinea U-15 meets Venezuela U-15 the day before Vanuatu U-15 clash with Iceland U-15 in their opening match against the European side in the Boys’ competition on August 15.
Piri is no stranger to officiating on the international stage recently returning from officiating at the OFC’s U-20 Men’s Championship played in Suva, Fiji, in May.
“To prepare for a tournament you need to train hard and also do a lot of reading from the Laws of the Game as this is the FIFA’s authortative text for match officials,” Piri says.
Cook Islands Football Association (CIFA) Referee Development Officer Lai Gukisuva is ecstatic with the opportunity for Piri to showcase his talents.
“It is an extremely proud moment for the Cook Islands to have Piri officiating at the Youth Summer Olympics for FIFA,” says Gukisuva.
“There are lots of opportunities for our referees on an international level and we encourage anyone interested to contact us if they are interested in joining our refereeing team. This appointment will no doubt open more doors for other local referees,” continues Gukisuva.
Piri’s continued dedication and commitment to football refereeing is reflected in his continued international appointments with OFC and FIFA.
“It is always good to see our referees from the Cook Islands recognized and given the opportunities to officiate on an international level.
“There are pathways for our dedicated referees in Rarotonga and internationally,” states Gukisuva.
The Girls’ Youth Olympic Football tournament gold medal match is on Tuesday 26 August, the Boys’ the next day.
And what qualities are required to make it all the way to the top level of international officialdom according to Piri?
His answer is simple.
“If you are dedicated to what you want out of life, you can achieve it,” said Piri.
Ends

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