Image: (c) GEPA pictures / Andreas Pranter
An Austrian is chief referee for table tennis at the Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo. Werner Thury had already been head referee at the 2011 World Championships in Rotterdam and 2017 in Düsseldorf, where he was responsible for up to 160 referees. His current position in Japan is of course the high point of his referee career for the Burgenlander. He will be in action until the medal decisions in the men's team on Friday.
“Realistically, you cannot expect a nomination as an Olympic Referee, because this position can only be awarded to one person every four years and more than 220 associations provide referees,” Thury said in an interview with the Austrian Association (ÖTTV). “For this reason, it is an honor for me to represent Austria in this position and also a sign that my work on the international stage cannot have been so bad in recent years.”
In his role, Thury directed the draw and gave Austria's women's team to China. On Sunday there was the expected 3-0 defeat. “To be honest, I was glad that my face was hidden behind the mask,” said the ÖTTV referee adviser. “But I had to react calmly and bring the draw to a professional end.” Incidentally, Josef Waizinger from Upper Austria is also an ÖTTV referee in Japan at the Olympic Games.
The preparation for the referees had already started with the 2019 Tokyo test event. “At the beginning of 2020 we were already in the detailed planning of the individual processes. Due to Covid requirements and additions, the last three months were still very tough,” explained Thury. Now it is forbidden to breathe on the ball. Thury, however, is lenient. “I urged the umpires to only warn the players in the crucial phases, but not to punish them.”
With Wolfgang Wulz there had already been an Austrian table tennis final referee at the Olympics. Waizinger did not get a chance in the medal games in singles and mixed, but the team decisions are still pending. Thury stated that the Austrian referee is highly regarded. “The demands on our international referees are very high,” he said, listing English and a confident demeanor as the basic requirements.
Thury also expects a good appearance from the players, but he also tries to empathize with the situation of the active players. “You are under pressure and if I create counter pressure we will not find a solution.” But there are also lines that should not be crossed. “My job here is to say 'Stop'. I've had to do a lot of disqualifications in my career.” But he still has a good relationship with most of the players.
Thury has been a member of the Referees Committee of the International Federation (ITTF) since 2009, since 2013 also “Deputy Chair” in the committee and in recent years has been very intensively involved with the future development of match officials in international table tennis. At home he has also been chairman of the UTTC Halbturn for 18 years. The 47-year-old also plays there himself, in a team with his son and father.
