Rocky Mountain House’s Loyal Ma had one of the best seats in the house for the London Olympics BMX racing.
But the experienced race official wasn’t there to enjoy the view in London.
As president of the commissaire panel overseeing BMX, Ma was in charge of everything from officiating races to keep them fair and safe to marshalling medical staff and dozens of photographers so they didn’t wind up BMX bike road kill on the course.
Stressful?
Ma compares it to being head referee in a Game 7 Stanley Cup Final with the game tied 3-3 and heading into the second period of overtime.
“That’s the stress level,” he said.
Besides officiating, he also had to co-ordinate television production in an event that would be seen by a global audience of close to a billion. The job even involved duty as fashion police to ensure that riders’ uniforms met stringent International Olympic Committee endorsement standards.
Olympic-sized responsibilities aside, Ma said his week in London marks an officiating career highlight.
“It’s certainly the pinnacle of my career to achieve that,” said the 62-year-old, who has officiated 15 world championships, two dozen national championships and more than 70 international events.
The facilities that Great Britain provided were top notch, said Ma, who was there from Aug. 4 to 12.
“It’s a spectacular venue,” said the owner of Rocky Mountain Bike ’n Board. “Everything was done to perfection.”
He marvelled at the attention to detail. When organizers weren’t satisfied with the finish line, the pavers were called in two days before the finals to lay down a new section of track.
“That’s the resources of the Olympics.”
Unfortunately, his responsibilities and workload, including overseeing three other international officials and a team of four national officials, meant there was little time to take in other events or catch the opening or closing ceremonies.
“People don’t realize we’re not there to party or to really enjoy the Olympics. We’re there to work.”
While volunteers are fed and given a place to stay while their events are taking place, they are on their own if they want to stay longer and take in other events or ceremonies.
“We had to get tickets like everybody else,” he said.
The morning after BMX was finished, Ma was on a plane back to Canada.
Ma takes pride in his role and that of two other Canadian cycling officials from B.C., who were three of only 21 international cycling officials to work the Games, an impressive achievement.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com