21 Feb 2024

Former table tennis player, Rita Sebele continues to serve the sport at a different level as an umpire.

After a playing career spanning 10 years, Sebele has been a certified international umpire since 2014. Guided by the philosophy to remain neutral and fair at all times, Sebele said her job as an umpire is to remain focused and make decisions guided by the rules of play.

Even though opinions of both parties and players matter, she said it was imperative that an official must take decisions that were guided by the rules of the game.

Sebele said officiating exposed one to complex situations, as at times tempers fly and the official had to remain calm to diffuse the situation. She explained that when making a decision in a controversy-clouded scenario, one ought to remain calm and objective.

“I cannot really explain why I stopped playing to venture into officiating, but I believe my love for the sport and still wanting to be part of it has driven my desire to become an umpire,” she said.

Sebele said her pursuit towards sport administration was driven by dedication and commitment to realise her passion.

Her appeal to the current crop of players is to explore other opportunities beyond playing.

 She said sport equipped one with valuable personal attributes such as teamwork, discipline and resilience, which were important in sport administration.

Therefore, she said it was important to embrace new challenges, pursue education and challenge one’s abilities in areas like coaching, sports management or mentoring the next generation.  

Sebele said being an umpire was demanding as one was exposed to intense scrutiny all the time.

“The challenges that comes with it make it less appealing to some compared to playing,” she said.

Sebele was of the view that even though sport administrators such as umpires played a critical role in sport, operating behind the scene made it difficult to be noticed and even get the well-deserved accolades for their contribution.

“The spotlight often falls on athletes while officials work behind the scenes. I am also of the view that officiating does not attract many as the service is most of the time done voluntarily, therefore less rewarding,” she said.

Her journey into officiating in table tennis started in earnest in 2012 when she acquired the ITTF Level 1 and Level 2 umpire certifications.

Two years later, Sebele upgraded her officiating qualifications to ITTF Level 3 International Umpire.

As part of her officiating training, Sebele also attended a specialised training workshop in ITTF Competitions Management in 2022.

Armed with in-depth knowledge of ITTF rules and regulations, Sebele has over her 10-year career officiated at various table tennis tournaments locally, regionally and on the international arena.

Some of her initial assignments as an umpire was officiating at the Africa Youth Games and Africa region 5 Table Tennis Games in Lesotho in 2019.

“My biggest highlight so far was officiating at my first ITTF world championships tournament in Durban, South Africa in May 2023 and attending my first ever tournament beyond the borders of Africa in Qatar, Doha in 2024,” said.   ENDS