In addition to the success of our athletes overseas, it is important to acknowledge the achievements being made by other Australians in the field of international sport.

Like many successful sports officials, Ryan Arblaster began his sports career as a state level competitor — in his case, a state swimmer in Western Australia. His interest in swimming led both his parents and himself, to careers as swimming officials.  After chasing opportunities which boosted his international experience (the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships in Canada; the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore; the 2010 Oceania Swimming Championships in Samoa and the 2011 FINA World Cup in Tokyo) he was awarded an ASC National Officiating Scholarship in 2011.

Since then, Arblaster’s career has gone from strength to strength.  His recent officiating appointments at the London 2012 Olympic Games (as Chief Inspector of Turns; Inspector of Turns; Judge of Stroke; Clerk of Course; Resolution Desk and Reserve Official) saw him poolside for every day of the swimming competition.

‘Just to be selected to officiate at the Olympics was a great honour and I treasure the whole experience,’ says Arblaster.

‘I was given one day off in the middle of the program where I sat in the stands and enjoyed being a spectator.’

While only 28 years of age, and often the youngest officiator on the pool deck, Arblaster has become quite an experienced official.  Despite having already officiated at the international level in five different countries, he found the Olympic Games something special.

‘The most notable difference was the atmosphere around pool deck,’ he commented. ‘With 17,500 spectators there was a real buzz and every time there was a UK swimmer in a final the local crowd made a lot of noise.’

Another bonus for Arblaster was the opportunity to mix with officials from across the world.

‘Even though we came from all parts of the globe, we really worked well as a team and I enjoyed getting to know all the officials,’ he says. ‘We regularly had meals together, chatting about the day’s events and sharing officiating experiences.’
Like the majority of athletes and officials, Arblaster juggles his sports career with a ‘day job’. While he finds it a challenge to organise work with refereeing duties, his roster as a Manager (Business Support and Services) on a remote Sunrise Dam Gold Mine site in Western Australia allows him to officiate local and state meets on weekends.

‘Both senior management and my colleagues are very supportive of my refereeing which helps immensely,’ he says. ‘For national and international meets I usually take my laptop with me and manage to keep on top of my work remotely.’
Arblaster has his sights set on the future.

‘I would like to continue officiating at an international level and mentoring other officials so that they can achieve their goals.  I also hope to gain experience in IPC (paralympic) events.’