London, Rio de Janeiro and now Tokyo. The island referee Jose Maria Padrón (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1972) represents the Olympism that is not seen, the one that goes unnoticed in the coverage of the mainstream media and that does not receive medals, podiums or scholarships with many zeros in the current account.
Since he took the international beach volleyball referee course in Cagliari, his prestige and reputation have only grown. Those who know him best speak wonders about him and his career is brilliant, to the point that in Japan he completes his third Olympic cycle.
He is endorsed by his impeccable work in World Tour, European and World Tournaments, although nothing has the repercussion and impact of the Olympic Games, “because here all sports have the same importance.” Also his, which the organization has located in an imposing botanical park (Shiokaze Park) that was prepared to receive the visit of thousands of spectators. The pandemic stopped everything, but the Olympic event has moved on, which the chair umpire celebrates.
To Census, the effort of the IOC and the commission responsible for the organization of Tokyo 2020 is proving “a success”. “I feel like it’s like we beat the virus in some way,” he says. With respect to previous Games, the warmth of the public is missing, even more so in a discipline where the role of the spectators is fundamental. And of course he is aiming to whistle a final because it is an achievement that would round out his record (already in Rio he whistled the female). Although this would imply that there was no Spanish representation.