In the last weekend of June the village of Čeladná in the Beskydy Mountains hosted a meeting of the Czech and Slovak referees and umpires committees. This event followed a similar meeting held three years ago in Trenčianske Teplice Slovakia. The aim was to strengthen cooperation between the two commissions exchange experiences and discuss current issues and challenges facing umpires and referees in both countries.
The meeting was attended not only by members of both commissions but also by representatives of the Executive Committees of CAST and SSTZ including Chairmen Nikolas ENDAL and Anton HAMRAN. Following the recent meeting of the Executive Committees of both associations this joint event further demonstrated the close cooperation between the two table tennis associations which will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovak table tennis next year.
Participants focused on the possibilities of cooperation at events the use of modern technology at the table umpires and referees’ education and comparing the playing systems of long-term competitions in the Czech Republic and Slovakia concerning referees’ delegations. A separate discussion was held on the credit system used for umpires at Czech events and its evaluation in terms of motivating umpires to apply for tournaments. Additionally the upcoming major international tournaments next year in both countries—the European U21 Championships in May in Bratislava and the Youth European Championships in July in Ostrava—were discussed. It was also agreed to jointly prepare candidates for the international umpire exams this autumn.
At the end of the meeting several concrete actions were agreed upon aimed at further improving cooperation and information exchange between the commissions. The meeting in Čeladná confirmed that joint work and knowledge sharing are crucial for the successful development of table tennis umpiring and refereeing activities in both countries.
