UK technical officials were out in record numbers internationally in July, playing a vital role as the World Para Athletics Championships were held in Paris, France and the European Under-23 Championships took place in Espoo, Finland.

A delegation of six UK officials made the short trip across the Channel for the World Para Athletics Championships, which saw the GB&NI team win ten gold medals across the nine days of action.

The UK delegation of six was made up by Alison Jordan (International PF Judge), Alan Bell (International Starter), Dave Jessett (Technical Delegate), Jon Mason (Chair of Jury), Sue Maughan (ITO) and Tony Shaw (ITO).

The World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, held just over a year before the Paralympic Games in the same city, were heralded a success from athletes, which was in no small part due to the impact of British officials.

Meanwhile, running concurrently with the action in the French capital, a delegation of four UK officials were in Espoo, Finland for the latest edition of the European Under-23 Championships.

The quartet was made up of Lis Henderson (Technical Delegate), Margaret Werrett (International Starter), Mark Delgado (International PF Judge) and Linda Turner (ITO) and were responsible for another successful event being hosted.

The GB&NI team won 29 medals in Paris and 14 in Espoo – topping the medal table – while having ten UK officials across the two events signals the current strength of officiating across the country.

Chris Moss, Head of Development at UK Athletics said:

“This is a great news story for us, and it is encouraging to see even more UKA Officials operating at global Championships and at the highest levels of the sport. We lead the way when it comes to providing expert technical officials and as it currently stands, we have the highest ever number of UKA Officials sitting on international panels across the sport. This is both significant and important as it demonstrates the level of skills, knowledge and experience that we have to offer the world of officiating as a nation.

“Domestically, we have obviously just come off the back of two significant events in; the UK Championships at Manchester and the London Athletics meet, both of which further showcased the talent and expertise we have in officiating in the UK.”