Lady referee stands her ground

CHANGSHA – China’s Ling Peng was one of two female referees in the 28-strong pool formed to work the 62 games at the 28th FIBA Asia Championships that ended here yesterday. The other was India’s Shehal Bendke.

Ling, 43, has been a FIBA licensed arbiter since 2001. She was assigned to work at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships for men and said Manila is one of her favorite cities in the world. Her other favorite destinations are London which hosted the 2012 Olympics, Toulouse in France which hosted the FIBA World U17 Championships for women in 2010 and Nabuel, Tunisia, which hosted the FIBA World U19 Championships for women in 2005.

A highlight of Ling’s career was when she worked the final of the 2012 Olympic women’s basketball tournament with Argentina’s Fernando Sampietro and Russia’s Elena Chernova. The US beat France, 86-50, for the gold medal.

Ling said she played basketball in high school but never made it to the national team. “I’m just a recreational player,” she chuckled. “There are so many better players than me in China. I enjoy my work as a referee. I hope to keep working with FIBA until I’m 50 which is the retirement age for referees. Then, maybe, I could work as a commissioner with FIBA if I’m accepted.”

In the FIBA officiating hierarchy, there are commissioners and supervisors who oversee and evaluate the work of referees. A commissioner is in charge of every game, sits with the table officials and attends to details of operations.  A supervisor looks over the conduct of a game, confers with the referees before and after a contest and evaluates performance.

As “one of the boys,” Ling undergoes the same physical test that men take before being cleared to work in a tournament. At the FIBA Asia Championships here, there were initially 32 referees named to the pool. Only 29 showed up and one was scratched out for failing to pass the physical test which involves completing a sprint of 86 20-meter laps in about 10 minutes.

Two of the FIBA Asia referees in the pool were Filipinos Ferdinand (Bong) Pascual and Ricor Buaron. “Every FIBA referee must be in shape,” said Pascual. “If you don’t pass the physical test, you’re not cleared to work. For instance, one of us failed to pass the test but since he was already in Changsha, FIBA still paid for his stay except he couldn’t work. Next time there is a tournament, he won’t be assigned anymore. The female referees, Ling and Shehal, had to pass the test, too.”

The 28-strong pool came from 15 countries – two from Chinese-Taipei, five from China, two from Japan, two from Iran, one from Jordan, two from Kazakhstan, one from Korea, one from Kuwait, two from Lebanon, one from Malaysia, two from the Philippines, one from Singapore, one from Palestine, one from Hong Kong and four from India. The commissioners were Pratoom Muongmee of Thailand, Vreje Abcarian of Iran and Jiangan Zhou and Hongtao Zeng of China. The supervisors were Mudar Majdoub of Jordan, Al Younis Zadjali of Oman, Naresh Aneja of India and Mansour Al Ahmavi of Saudi Arabia.

Ling said she’s not intimidated by male players. She worked two seasons in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), including the 2002 final series. But the men’s league now employs strictly male referees. Ling is one of over 70 female arbiters working in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA).

“As referees, we are like family and learn from each other,” said Ling. “Our common love is basketball. When I work a men’s game, I’m not afraid. Why? Because I’m the referee. The important thing is we respect each other. Do I dream of someday being a referee in the WNBA? No. FIBA and the NBA or WNBA are two different federations employing two different systems. I’m very happy working with FIBA. In the WCBA, I’ve been a referee since 2001 so I’m quite active in the game.”

Ling said she remembers working a game where Yao Ming played. Yao played in the CBA from 1997-98 to 2001-02 then joined the Houston Rockets in the NBA. “Yao is one of the greatest Chinese players and is very popular among fans,” she said. “He’s not only a gifted athlete but also a good person who is very intelligent. His wife is also a former national basketball player.”

Ling said the backbone of her life is her family. She has been married since 1997 to a classmate who is a university lecturer. They have an 8-year-old boy. “My husband and I both enjoy sports but he likes football and I like basketball,” she said.

Travel is a perk with FIBA referees who are booked to work games all over the world. Ling said she particularly enjoyed her stay in Manila two years ago during the FIBA Asia Championships. “I have fond memories of Manila,” she said. “The fans love their basketball. The people are so warm and friendly. I hope someday, to visit Manila again.”