Gambia gets first int'l volleyball referee

Gambian Volleyball referee Bai Dodou Jallow yesterday morning returned to Banjul on the back of impressive performances as he became the first Gambian volleyball referee to be classified among the top international volleyball referees across the continent.

The 35-year-old resident of Kunkujang bagged the top honour after finishing among the best volleyball referees drawn from 16 African countries that converged at the Nigerian capital Abuja on  an 11-day International Refereeing Candidate course jointly organised by Federation International for Volleyball and the Confederation of African Volleyball.

Jallow, who came out with one of the best results among his colleagues at the end of an intensive referee course, has made history by becoming the first Gambian volleyball referee to transform into becoming an international volleyball umpire.

The course, coordinated by the President of Africa Volleyball Referees' Commission, is aimed at enhancing the capacity of volleyball referees in Africa, said Jallow, who spoke to Pointsport in an interview yesterday afternoon.

The Gambian star referee, who made three registrations with Federation International for Volleyball, (FIVB) in 2007, 2008 and 2010, began his volleyball referee career in 2004 and has since officiated some of the biggest volleyball finals both at home and abroad.

On the domestic front, he took centre-stage in officiating the volleyball match between Serrekunda East Volleyball team and Gamtel/Gamcel Volleyball team in the finals of the National Volleyball Championship held at the Gambia Senior Secondary School grounds recently.

Jallow was the volleyball referee who officiated the Zone11 Volleyball finals between Senegal and Cape Verde in Dakar early January.