Beijing - Czech football referee Dagmar Damková, who made history five years ago as the first female ref to officiate a game in the Czech football league, is to add another notch to her belt of accomplishments: she has been chosen as the main referee for the final game of the women's football tournament at the Beijing Olympics.
The match, to be played on Thursday, brings together the teams of Brazil and the USA in what will be a replay of the last Olympic tournament (American team won 2-1 in Athens).
Damková has already handled three matches in Beijing - two in the group stage (China vs. Canada and USA vs. New Zealand) plus a quarterfinal between Sweden and Germany.
It is second Olympics she takes part in and getting the honor to officiate the final match of the tournament undoubtedly represents the pinnacle of her career.
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Big in China
The 34-year old teacher of English from the city of Pilsen has built a good reputation in China. Last year, she officiated the FIFA Women's World Cup semifinal game between Norway and Germany in Tianjin.
She has been one of the busiest referees at the tournament, even missing the opening ceremony of the games due to her officiating engagements.
"I would like to see something (else than football) while I'm here, but I have no time for it. Yet, I am glad that I get to officiate a lot, that they nominate me so often," she told Aktuálně.cz in an interview last week while not daring to gauge her chances of being chosen for the final.
With the failure of Czech football squads - both male and female - to qualify for the Beijing Olympics Damková is the only representative in China of the football powerhouse that the Czech Republic has traditionally been. And she has certainly made her country proud.
