Two Vauclusians will be line judges for badminton events in Paris this summer. Miguel Matoso and Frédéric Hattat are licensed at Badminton Olympique in Pernes-les-Fontaines.
At 50, Carpentras resident Miguel Matoso became line judge to follow his children’s competitions.
He has already refereed badminton world championships but he considers the Olympic Games to be the peak of his career.
From the steering wheel… to the Olympic steering wheel
Carpentras resident Miguel Matoso gets off his truck to explain that with his work, he “gets really angry on a construction site. When I’m in a badminton room, I’m really calm and composed, whereas normally I run in all directions on the construction site. It’s the splits “. Miguel Matoso explains that he must “check if the shuttlecock is inside or outside the lines. I’m not an athlete but you have to be concentrated, look closely at the shuttlecocks, the game, follow the game. Mistakes really happen down to the millimeter . It’s very, very hard to watch and we are under pressure throughout the match.”.
Stay focused on the white line
At 50, Miguel Matoso must stay focused: “the shuttle is going so fast, we have a hundredth of a second to make our decision. I have already made mistakes in a match: we have to refocus so as not to make a mistake behind because the players target the linesman when They think he is weak, they will play again and again in the same place to try to lure the linesman. I have no right to relax my attention. Between points, I relax a little bit because there is a one-minute break when the score reaches 11 or a set is won.”.
Referee so as not to be bored during his children’s matches
“I got into refereeing because my children played badminton competitively” confides the Carpentrassian. “Instead of staying sitting in the stands, I chose to go referee and watch the little ones play more closely. It became a passion. More than a passion even because it takes up a lot of my time. : there are the French championships, all the arbitrations abroad, the French Open and after the Olympic Games”.
“Participating in the Olympic Games in Paris is the consecration of all the work that I have accomplished over many years and I am very proud of it” souligne Miguel Matoso. “My family is also very proud of me. I am peak of my refereeing career. I couldn’t go beyond the Olympic Games. I’ve already done the world championships, I’ve done the European championships, I’ve done the France… so the Olympiads are the pinnacle for me.”.
Dream about opening ceremony
The moments that make the Vaucluse referee dream are “the opening ceremony and the medal presentations with the athletes. The referees were also part of the competition protocol and to see very, very high level players playing also because even if I am on a chair, I always watch the matches. I am behind the scenes of the match because we, the linesmen, are outside the field, we cannot be seen. The most visible are the chair umpire and the service judge.”.
Rugby à 13, RCT and Massilia Sound System
“When I’m not on a construction site or at the edge of a badminton court, I go to watch the rugby matches in Toulon. I am a subscriber to the Racing Club de Toulon”. The badminton referee confides that rugby is his passion: “my son plays thirteen-a-side rugby in Carpentras”. Do we still put music in the playlist? “Ah yes, I listen to Massilia when I go to competition. I like Sunday at Goudes for my peaceful journey”
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Massilia Sound System – Goudes Sunday
2024-03-26 11:19:12
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