European referees stand out at Paris 2024

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games ended on Sunday night and the Olympics in the City of Light have further cemented Europe’s leading role on the global stage. Teams from the ‘Old Continent’ claimed as many as seven of the 12 medals at stake across the Volleyball and Beach Volleyball competitions – a truly unprecedented feat fuelled by a clean sweep of the men’s Beach Volleyball podium. 

Europe’s Volleyball family was represented at Paris 2024 also by a large continent of highly qualified referees (see here), who rose to the occasion and eventually officiated ther four title-deciding matches on the Olympic stage. France’s Fabrice Collados and Poland’s Wojciech Maroszek did oversee the women’s gold medal match between Italy and USA – whereas Italy’s Stefano Cesare was the first referee for the men’s Olympic final where hosts France retained their crown from the postponed Tokyo Olympics to match a feat previously achieved only by the Soviet Union (1964 and 1968) and USA (1984 and 1988) in Olympic history. Stefano Cesare can now boast a truly unique feat on his CV – since he had previously officiated Olympic gold medal matches in Beach Volleyball as well doing so in 2004 and 2008 in Athens and Beijing. 

Moreover, Italy’s Davide Crescentini served as the second referee of an all-European men’s Beach Volleyball final featuring teams from Sweden and Germany. If this was not enough, two European referees – Poland’s Agnieszka Myszkowska and Serbia’s Robert Leko – did oversee the women’s Beach Volleyball final between Brazil and Canada. 

Such appointments obviously fill with pride Europe’s Volleyball family and the larger refereeing community as well. “Just like the top athletes from across the globe, officials prepare for four years as well to reach the top of their form for the Olympics. Even though the current term of the European Refereeing Commission is ending, the ERC is very proud to have, in collaboration with all national federations, developed and pursued a vision to raise the level of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball refereeing in Europe. With the help and support of the CEV, the results are truly exceptional, with CEV referees playing a leading role in many international competitions and most recently at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. A new four-year era is about to begin, and we wish that this positive spirit continues all the way to Los Angeles 2028,” comment ERC President and Secretary, Zorica Bjelic and Arturo Di Giacomo.