Hongkonger Ho to lead 11-strong 3×3 basketball referees team at Paris Olympics

From officiating in the first-ever 3×3 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.”

Ho admitted it’s both “recognition and honour” to officiate at his second Olympic Games.

“The Olympics is a dream even for the referees, it’s our target,” the Hongkonger said. “It is a kind of acceptance [to be named for the Games] and it also means the hard work over the years was seen by others.”

Having taken charge of the finals at the World Cup, World Tour Final and even the women’s gold medal game at the Aomi Urban Sports Park in 2021, the senior referee knew what he craved next.

“An ultimate target would be the men’s gold medal match,” the 44-year-old said. “I hope I will be in my best condition, both on and off the court, come the Paris Games.

“So that I might be picked for the final – but that would be the call of the FIBA supervisors.”

Ho was the busiest referee at the Tokyo Games, where he was assigned to 17 matches over just five days, and he has solid plans to keep him fit.

“I try to run five kilometres, or 30 minutes, every day and I do weight training to keep an athlete’s physique,” he said. “These help improve my concentration.

“When I am not refereeing, I avoid thinking about basketball. If we think about how to be a good referee 24/7 and try thinking about not to make any mistakes, our performances will often be worse off when we are on the court.”

From officiating in his first 3×3 game in 2013, Hongkonger Ho is entering his 12th year as the city’s only international referee, and he is eager to share his experience with his successors by taking up referee’s development work in recent years.

“We as referees also need to improve with time,” he said. “We need to catch up with, or even be ahead of, the players so that we know how to deal with certain situations on the court.

“I want to work on the rules, lead and push the overall development of 3×3 referees on international level because I cannot be a referee forever.

“I have to pass the torch at some point and let the juniors take over.”