Kamloops resident Demetra Koutsopodiotis is seen officiating at a world Olympic qualifier championship in Istanbul, Turkey in May 2024.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Demetra Koutsopodiotis

A Kamloops woman will be one of two Canadian referees going to the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer to referee wrestling matches on the world stage.

Demetra Koutsopodiotis, 43, has been dreaming of the opportunity to referee at the Olympic level since she was young.

“It’s pretty amazing for a little Kamloops girl whose been working at refereeing for quite some time,” she said.

An experienced wrestler herself, Koutsopodiotis spent two decades training as a referee and achieving higher levels of officiating certifications that took her from the local level to the world stage.

Following a busy year of officiating at tournaments and undergoing evaluations, she discovered she earned a position at the Olympics through an email on May 28.

“I was floored, I was really feeling good about being selected based on my performance but it doesn’t feel real until you see your name on the list,” she said. “I had my son at home so I couldn’t scream out loud but I was screaming on the inside for such an incredible experience to come my way.”

Koutsopodiotis started wrestling at her Kamloops high school as a teenager and said she fell in love with the sport instantly. She joined the school team, and later joined a wrestling club while attending Thompson Rivers University, that saw her travelling to compete all over the country.

Kamloops referee Demetra Koutsopodiotis is seen at the Albania U23 world championship in 2023.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Demetra Koutsopodiotis

“It was a growing sport for females back then and we had a pretty good competition pool when it came to the women’s weight classes,” she said. “I think every wrestler hones into the top moves they learn to set up from different angles as an attack. I was more of a defensive wrestler and became good at reading my opponents.”

She was in university when a wrestling coach suggested Koutsopodiotis try her hand at being a referee.

“Starting off it was hard as one of the only women refereeing at that time, the coaches back then were more aggressive than they are now.”

Through officiating experience, training and passing examinations, Koutsopodiotis became a national level referee in 2004.

With more training and evaluations from National Referee Coaches, she became a certified FIFA Referee in 2009, allowing her to officiate international level wrestling matches. 

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Over the years, Koutsopodiotis has officiated in countries throughout South America, in Croatia, Spain, Kazakhstan, Australia and Iran, but she said the Olympics is the top of the top.

The Olympics selection is a year-long process. What started last year with 200 potential referees was whittled down to 50.

“You have to perform well on the mat, score well in evaluations and make the tournaments you are assigned to,” she said. “In Canada we had to do a senior pan American championship, a pan American Olympic qualifier, a ranking series and a world tournament.”

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When asked if she is nervous about being on the Olympic stage, Koutsopodiotis said no, but there was a match in the past where she got rattled.

“It was my first senior world championship in Kazakhstan on the biggest stage I’ve seen until now. It was a humbling experience because I got rattled but we have a great leadership group behind us.

“Some matches are more intense than others and it's always a bit nerve wracking stepping on the mat knowing everyone is watching you. You’re concentrating on being as fair as possible and making the best calls. In Canada, we develop some outstanding international officials.”

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The other Canadian wrestling referee selected to officiate for the 2024 Paris Olympics lives in Ontario and Koutsopodiotis knows her well. The pair will be officiating from Aug. 5 to 11.

“She is a friend from Guelph, we’ve travelled a lot together and this is the cake topper for both of us,” Koutsopodiotis said. “This has always been a dream of mine and now it  has become a reality.”

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