It is undoubtedly the hardest job in aquatic sports.

In water polo, referees can make hundreds of calls, although some are more important to the outcome of the game than others. In diving and artistic swimming, there are additional judges who all have input to the final score. In swimming, the c electronitouch pad is the final arbiter and if a disqualification is called, it can be reviewed and overruled. But in open water swimming, referees have to make a call in the moment with no time for second-guessing or changes in their judges. A yellow card or red card is final.

It is a thankless responsibility that we can all appreciate and thank them for their services.

The following individuals – a mirror of the global open water swimming community – served as volunteers for the open water races at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships:

Women’s 10 km Olympic Qualifying Race

• Chief Referee: Britta Kamrau, Germany
• Assistant to Chief Referee: Janel Longfellow, France
• Referee 1: Damian van de Berg, Australia
• Assistant Referee 1: Mike Murphy, USA
• Referee 2: Avelino Gomes Monteiro, Senegal
• Assistant Referee 2: Mostafa Bourzik, Morocco
• Referee 3: Robert van Vuuren, Netherlands
• Assistant Referee 3: Chaouki Ben Ayed, Qatar

Men’s 10 km Olympic Qualifying Race

• Chief Referee: Luis Baptista, Portugal
• Assistant to Chief Referee: Damian van de Berg, Australia
• Referee 1: Ioki Ichikawa, Japan
• Assistant Referee 1: Neal Marcano, Trinidad and Tobago
• Referee 2: Edward Cheng, Hong Kong
• Assistant Referee 2: Kate Reynolds, Australia
• Referee 3: Mostafa Bourzik, Morocco
• Assistant Referee 3: Djamel Khelili, Qatar

Women’s 5 km Open Water Race

• Chief Referee: Edward Cheng, Hong Kong
• Assistant to Chief Referee: Luis Baptista, Portugal
• Referee 1: Ziyad Kashmiri, Saudi Arabia
• Assistant Referee 1: Thian de Jager, South Africa
• Referee 2: Jorge Delgado, Ecuador
• Assistant Referee 2: Robert van Vuuren, Netherlands
• Referee 3: Dennis Chua, Singapore
• Assistant Referee 3: Ahmed Mohamed Abdelaziz, Qatar

Men’s 5 km Open Water Race

• Chief Referee: Damian van de Berg, Australia
• Assistant to Chief Referee: Mostafa Bourzik, Morocco
• Referee 1: Szabolcs Fodor, Hungary
• Assistant Referee 1: Greg Forsythe, New Zealand
• Referee 2: Luis Baptista, Portugal
• Assistant Referee 2: Robert van Vuuren, Netherlands
• Referee 3: Janel Longfellow, France
• Assistant Referee 3: Riadh Riabi, Qatar

4x1500m Mixed Relay

• Chief Referee: Ioki Ichikawa, Japan
• Referee 1: Yichin (Ernie) Hsu, Taipei
• Assistant Referee 1: Janel Longfellow, France
• Referee 2: Ziyad Kashmiri, Saudi Arabia
• Assistant Referee 2: Kate Reynolds, Australia
• Referee 3: Mike Murphy, USA
• Assistant Referee 3: Hasser Al-Noaimmi, Qatar

© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“