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Mike Chan

The passing of the torch has come for 3x3 basketball referee Edmond Ho Ming-tat, as he moves on from his officiating career after officiating at the women’s final at the Paris Olympics on early morning Tuesday.
Hongkonger Ho revealed he had officiated the final match of his career after world No 5 Germany defeated fellow Europeans Spain, ranked one place below, 17-16 to win gold at La Concorde Plaza.
Speaking of his “last dance”, the 44-year-old said his time on the court was now a thing of the past as he was taking on a new role as the Referee Lead in Fiba 3x3, the world governing body’s short format.
“I’ll be the head of referees not just in one event, but in general now,” he said. “I will be guiding and developing international referees in a full-time capacity.

“For sure it’s a bit sad [to walk away from the court] but it’s an honour – there’s only one Referee Lead so I’m very happy.”
Ho, who was head referee in Paris, said he would not be confined to an office in his new role, as he would be focusing on evaluating and supervising referees, preparing training materials, and looking at rules and “all stuff” related to officiating.
The veteran referee, who officiated his first 3x3 game in 2013, added that he could not continue his refereeing role because of the necessity to avoid conflict of interest.
“Paris was my last one,” he said. “It’s not good if I have the authority to nominate and evaluate [referees], but at the same time, I’m officiating badly on the court.

Ho said he was “proud and honoured” to have attended two Olympics as 3x3 was first accepted as a medal sport at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
“Tokyo was special, very different [because of the pandemic] but at the same time I don’t want to see it happen again,” he said. “Paris, on the other hand, was traditional and formal, which allowed me to really experience the Games.”
The Hongkonger added that the atmosphere at La Concorde Plaza was completely different from that of the Aomi Urban Sports Park., where the games in Tokyo were played.
“There were about 4,500 seats here so we have a lot of spectators and supporters, and the three-sided open court design allowed fans without tickets to watch the match from the side too,” Ho said.

“Fans can play in the urban park and experience the excitement and games atmosphere of 3x3 – we don’t get these numbers even at the World Tour Finals or the World Cup.
“I believe these settings suited the idea of urban sports better; more citizens are exposed to this sport and they can even watch the teams’ warm up in the fan zone. Such closeness can unite some enthusiasts and basketball lovers, and fans’ support remained an integral part to the players, even if it’s not at the Olympics level.”
Ho, who also officiated the women’s final game in Japan three years ago, was the only Asian man among 11 officials – six women and five men – in Paris and he hoped there would be more to come from his native city.
“Apart from the elevation of the referees’ standards, we also want to find the next generation of potential international officials globally, including from Hong Kong, so that we all work towards the goal of improving this continuously evolving sport.”
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Paris Olympics: ‘last dance’ for 3x3 basketball referee Edmond Ho as he takes on new role

Edmund Ho (left) officiated the last match of his career in the Paris Olympics women’s 3x3 final, which Germany won by defeating Spain 17-16. Photo: Reuters

Edmond Ho is set to become the Referee Lead at Fiba 3x3. Photo: Handout

Edmond Ho (left) with Strahinja Stojačić of Serbia. Photo: Fiba

Edmond Ho says he was “proud and honoured” to have officiated at two Olympics. Photo: Handout

Postcard from Paris: 3x3 basketball a lesson Hong Kong organisers would do well to learn

The view from the press box for 3x3 basketball at the Paris Olympics is magnificent. Photo: Mike Chan

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Spectators watch Egypt v Mongolia at last month’s Olympic qualifying event at Victoria Park. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Sport

Basketball

Hong Kong

Paris Olympics 2024

44-year-old Hongkonger officiated final match of his career in the women’s final before taking on new job as the Referee Lead in Fiba 3x3


The 44-year-old Hongkonger officiated final match of his career in the women’s final before taking on a new job as the Referee Lead in Fiba 3x3.


FIBA (International Basketball Federation)

Tokyo