Kenyan hockey umpire Obalo set for Junior World Cup

Kenyan hockey umpire Peter Kabaso Obalo is delighted he will be officiating at the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Men’s Junior World Cup in India.

The former Mombasa Institute (now Goal club) player is the only Kenyan official at the 16-nation competition slated for November 24 to December 5 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

After missing his Saturday morning flight, Nation Sport got hold of him before he boarded the evening flight.

The 36-year-old is currently an FIH umpire on the Advancement Panel.

How does it feel to be the only Kenyan to officiate at the World Cup?

It is quite an honor to be among the officiating team and privileged to be the only Kenyan participating. This is not the first time. I was at the 2018 Junior Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

What inspired you to take up hockey umpiring?

While watching secondary school games years ago, I was angered by one official who was very biased against one team.

After seeing that game, I decided to become an official (umpire) and make sure that games are always decided by the players on the pitch and not a poor official.

My journey has been very tough, full of challenges, but I have had support from (Kenya Hockey Union) top management which has helped me. Also, working extra hard has brought me here.

How do you rate Kenyan hockey and what do you think we need to do to improve?

Kenya hockey is in a very difficult phase right now. We need to expose the national teams to more and frequent competitions. But, lack of funds hinders this.

How would it have been if Kenya had qualified for the World Cup?

It would have been awesome. The boys and girls would have loved this experience.

I went with the boys to Argentina during the Youth Olympic Games and it was an eye-opener.