AS Solomon Islands 60m sprint National Record holder, you can’t accuse referee Jovita Arunia of not being able to keep up with the play.
At the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March, Arunia clocked a time of 8.19 seconds, entering the record books in the Solomon Islands.
Sprinting has taken the 22-year-old to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest and Oregon, where she was the sole athlete from her country to attend, representing the country in the 100m.
Now, she’s taken her talents from the track to the field, which she hopes can help take her to the Olympics or even a FIFA World Cup.
“I want to move on to get an OFC badge and then become a FIFA badge referee. My dream is to attend a FIFA World Cup one day,” said Arunia.
Being in good physical fitness and did I mention, lightening quick, has helped Arunia get up to speed with the physical components. However, the theoretical and mental side of refereeing has had its challenges.
“It was quite difficult when I started, because due to negativities, like when I give wrong decisions and stuff. But as time goes, I don’t care about them, I just aim to improve in my refereeing career.
“As time goes and I became a referee, I started to know the rules, studied the rules, regulations, and how to perform well in my job as a referee,” Arunia explained.
So how did a Solomon Islands track star make it into the world of refereeing?
“First, I was not thinking about going to do refereeing, and then I started following Shama Mamae one of our FIFA badge referees. So, I just followed her to training, then I made up my mind to join the basic course last year (2023) in February.” Arunia explained.
Jovita has rubbed shoulders with some of the best track athletes in the world and competed on the biggest stages since taking up the sport in 2018, heights she hopes to reach as a referee.
The U-15 Development Tournament in Fiji in May this year was her first OFC Tournament. As a direct result of her performances at the tournament, Arunia, was appointed as a match official for the OFC U-16 Women’s Championship – Qualifying.
In Auckland last month, she refereed two matches at the U-16 tournament, taking important steps in becoming an OFC badge official.
But advancing her refereeing career has come with the tricky task of balancing it with being a track athlete and coach.
“I do it every day. It’s a tiring job. I have to coach. I have to train as an athlete and also do refereeing. It’s in my routine everyday so I’ve kind of got used to it but it’s tough.”
Despite the juggling act on her hands, Arunia isn’t giving up on any of her dreams. With a personal best of 12.84 in the 100m, she is determined to run even faster in the hope of reaching the Olympics in 2028.
“If there’s a coach helping me, I can improve.”
