Tucci, Stecklein named by FILA to serve as referees for 2004 Olympic Games
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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
04/20/2004
Two top U.S. officials, Rick Tucci of Pembroke Pines, Fla. and Bill Stecklein of Sea Isle City, N.J., have been named to serve as referees for wrestling at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. FILA, the international wrestling federation, announced the 60 referees from around the world who will work the competition. The Olympic wrestling competition will be held August 22-29. Tucci and Stecklein are considered among the top wrestling officials in the world. For Tucci, it will be his sixth assignment for the Olympic Games, and the fifth Olympic Games that he will officiate. Tucci also worked the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was selected to work the 1980 Moscow Olympics but did not participate due to the U.S. boycott. Stecklein will work his fourth straight Olympic Games, having also worked the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Tucci won the FILA Gold Whistle as the top referee working the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. Stecklein won the FILA Gold Whistle as the top referee at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Tucci has served 16 years as the President of the U.S. Wrestling Officials Association (USWOA), the world's largest wrestling officials association. Stecklein has served on the USWOA Board. Both Tucci and Stecklein have been active leaders within USA Wrestling, serving on the Board of Directors. Stecklein is currently serving in the office of secretary of USA Wrestling, and was previously the treasurer of the organization. Tucci was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. in 2001. Both Tucci and Stecklein were awarded Lifetime Achievement of Officials awards by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, with Tucci honored in 1994 and Stecklein in 1998. Both officials have also received USA Wrestling's Official of the Year awards, Tucci in 1992 and Stecklein in 1993. Tucci was named USA Wrestling's Man of the Year in 1997. Candidates for officiating positions at the Olympic Games worked the recent European Championships, where FILA evaluated their efforts and made the final selections. "It is a great honor to represent the United States of America, USA Wrestling and the athletes at such a premier event that is held only every four years," said Tucci. "I consider myself fortunate and look forward to going to the Olympics, to do the best job I am capable of doing." Tucci gives special credit to his career to legendary referees Steve Evanoff and Dick Torio, who helped him early in his career. "I owe everything I accomplished in refereeing to their grassroots approach with me." said Tucci. "This time it is phenomenal," said Stecklein. "I can't believe I am going to four straight Olympics, especially with the competition. It is incredible what you have to go through as an official. It is a great honor for me to represent our nation." "This never becomes old hat," said Stecklein. "I don't care how many of these that you do, this is the epitome of officiating, especially what you have to do to get there." Referees for the 2004 Athens Olympics in wrestling 1. Aldo Albanese (Italy), O.D. Secretary; 2. Stephan Kazarian (Armenia); 3. Mahdi Khaledi (Iran); 4. Kim Ik Jong (Korea); 5. Ivan Kruj (Hungary); 6. Branislav Simic (Serbia Montenegro); 7. Rick Tucci (USA); 8. Norbert Ratz (Austria); 9. Oktai Guisenov (Azerbaijan); 10. Vladimir Sherba (Belarus); 11. Iancho Kostadinov (Bulgaria); 12. Millen Markov (Bulgaria); 13. Lee MacKay (Canada); 14. Ahang Xia (China); 15. Davor Petjanek (Croatia); 16. Oreste Molina (Cuba); 17. Loukas Louka (Cypress); 18. Vaclav Cedron (Czech Republic); 19. Ahmed Zakaria (Egypt); 20. Karri Toivola (Finland); 21. Pertti Vehvilainen (Finland); 22. Robert Ait Braham (France); 23. Guy Chaptard (France); 24. Regine Legleut (France); 25. Edisheri Machaidze (Georgia); 26. Fredi Albrecht (Germany); 27. Eberhard Probst (Germany); 28. Georgio Hamakos (Greece); 29. Panagiotis Mitrovassilis (Greece); 30. Vassilos Pagonis (Greece); 31. Laszlo Peteri (Hungary); 32. Al Akbar Tahmasebi (Iran); 33. Bahman Talebi (Iran); 34. Giampiero Gabbiani (Italy); 35. Antonio Lagana (Italy); 36. Koji Fukuda (Japan); 37. Yoshimitsu Naito (Japan); 38. Chung Tong Kun (Korea); 39. Adoutchin Baskou (Mongolia); 40. Janev Ljupco (Macedonia); 41. Grzegorz Brudzinski (Poland); 42. Andrzez Supron (Poland); 43. Ovidiu Lazar (Romania); 44. Nougzar Jourouli (Russia); 45. Artsoum Manvellian (Russia); 46. Valeri Rezantsev (Russia); 47. Darko Nisavic (Serbia Montenegro); 48. Vojislav Tabacki (Serbia Montenegro); 49. Viktor Meier (Switzerland); 50. Marianne Nobs (Switzerland); 51. Jean Marc Petoud (Switzerland); 52. Borje Schoug (Sweden); 53. Jang Tsong Rong (Chinese Taipei); 54. Mohammed Kamel Bouaziz (Tunisia); 55. Ender Buyukersen (Turkey); 56. Ibrahim Cigioglu (Turkey); 57. Bill Stecklein (USA); 58. Konstantin Mikhailov (Uzbekistan); 59. Seitkah Tceshev (Kazakhstan); 60. Alexander Kolenkov (Ukraine)