Press release

 Ankara, Turkey, August 19, 2011- In many countries there are not more than 10 women referees, but still there are those who took such challenge. At the FIVB Girls' Youth World Championship in Ankara there are four females from Brazil, China, Cuba and Japan who had passed all the difficulties and became international referees.

"Totally in Japan there are only three woman referees and I am one of them. In Japan to be a referee is slightly different, but not too difficult. It is not easy but it is a challenging task. My teacher who was a referee told me that if I want a challenge in my life I should become a referee. I began to be a referee in Japan 11 years ago, while I become an international referee only in 2009, after I had passed the courses by FIVB," said a referee from Japan Yuka Kitamura

 "My parents support my love to volleyball. Actually although my father is 73 years old and my mother is 70, they themselves still play peculiar to Japan soft volleyball, a play with no injuries or dangers. I also played volleyball when I was a student. After I didn't played but just worked as a referee. Besides the sport I work as an accountant in primary school in Kyoto," tells her story Kitamura

"I think for women the most difficult part of this job is the family problem, for example I have to travel a lot during e year,” said Chinese international referee HaoJuan Wang.

 “That means I have less time to spend with my family at home. Although in the Chinese federation now there are 10 female referees and 2 are international, like me. I know that FIVB is improving the role of women in this field, but the I think they have to believe more in us, because we even can do it, we are not less strong than men. In a competition like this one, for example, I think we can be warmer to the players, than men!" added Wang

The same view on problems of women referees shares Angela Grass from Brazil: "In my country you had only man referees, so they thought that it was their place. And there were a lot of difficulties to admit that a woman can be a referee. In Brazil women are usually said to be at home, to cook and so on. But in my family the situation is different, my husband is also a volleyball referee and he totally supports me. He is a referee just on national level, so I passed one step ahead. Sometimes I say that I am the boss at home!. It is great that he accepts cooking and doing everything at home while I am working outside our country."

She started her sport carrier with athletics, and then played volleyball, graduated from university of physical education and worked as a volleyball coach. "But then I saw that every time I need to check the rules and do such staff and I decided to become a referee. I started to be an international referee only in 2009 after the courses of FIVB. And for now I have done different things but I want to retire as a referee. My dream is to become a referee at the Olympic Games, I will work for this. my family also loves sport my father asked me to be a doctor as they can earn more money. But I want to do only what I love. And you know if you work hard it is possible to earn money being referee as well," added Grass.

 Although now the situation with gender equality among referees improves it is still only beginning. "Now there are more women doing this kind of job,” shares own experience Cuban referee Lourdes Perez.

 “Still it’s not enough. It is not something concerning men or women, but it is just about your work. In my federation I am the first and only female international referee in a small group of four people. I started ten years ago, after being a player: I think I took this decision because my father was a referee, too. Now all my life is for this beautiful job, but I know other referees who have other employments," Perez added.