KILLYBEGS NATIVE Bernie O’Callaghan has described as a ‘dream come true’ the chance to officiate at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
At the weekend, Bernie was deputy chief judge for the race walking competitions, which were held in front of 50,000 spectators in Parque Kennedy.
He will be chief judge at the discus competition, which gets underway later today at the 2019 Pan American Games Athletics Stadium.
Bernie was invited to Lima as a national technical official to use his experience to aid the local referees and judges.
“I am delighted to be involved in the Games and it is a dream come true to get the opportunity to officiate here,” the Finn Valley AC clubman told Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub from Lima.
A former champion race walker, he is an inductee into both the Ulster Athletics and Donegal Athletics Hall of Fame.
The 73-year-old is the Chairman of the Donegal County Board, of which he was a founding member, and he is also a Board member of Athletics Ireland.
Bernie O’Callaghan pictured in Lima
His previous international experiences include the 2015 European Games in Baku; the 2017 European Race Walking Cup in Czech Republic; the 2017 World Championships in London and the 2018 World Race Walking Team Championships in China.
Some 7,000 athletes from 41 counties across 39 sports will compete at the 2019 Pan American Games, which run until August 11.
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