TORONTO, Ont. (March 31, 2021) — Canada Basketball is pleased to announce that three Canadian FIBA licensed referees, plus one Canadian FIBA Referee Instructor, have been nominated by FIBA for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Canadians Matthew Kallio, Maripier Malo and Michael Weiland are three of the 30 FIBA referees selected for the Tokyo 2020 Men’s and Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament, while Nadine Crowley is one of just two FIBA Referee Instructors to be nominated.

“We’re extremely proud of and congratulate Matt, MP, Michael and Nadine on their selection to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” said Tim Heide, Chair, Canadian Basketball Officials Commission (CBOC). “These assignments are a direct reflection of their dedication and commitment to being amongst the best in the world, and of their performance at previous international competitions.  Each of these individuals, represent the potential for Canadian basketball officials and are role models for all officials in Canada.”

The four Canadians represent the most from any one country for the Tokyo 2020 Men’s and Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament and the largest Canadian basketball referee contingent at an Olympic Games.

Kallio, a native of Edmonton, Alta., became the first Canadian to referee in the NBA after making his debut earlier this season.  Kallio is a member of the officiating staff of the NBA G League and WNBA, spending summer 2020 in the WNBA bubble.  He recently officiated two FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers games in Indianapolis during the second qualifying window and was also at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China, including an assignment to a quarter-final round game. 

Kallio has also been nominated to referee the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia from June 29-July 4.  Mike Thomson, Canada Basketball’s Manager, Officials Development, and a FIBA Referee Instructor, Level 2, will also be heading to Belgrade as a Referee Instructor at the tournament.

Malo has been refereeing since 2008 and received her FIBA certification in 2011. Currently, she officiates at the high school, CCAA, U SPORTS and FIBA levels. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she officiated at a FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2020, FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2019 and the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2019. In 2020, she became the first female official to referee the final game at a U SPORTS Men’s National Championship.

Malo, along with Canadian referee Nathaniel Saunders, has also been assigned to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Riga and Daugavpils, Latvia from July 3-11.

Now in his 13th year as a FIBA Official, Weiland will head to Tokyo having refereed internationally at some of the world’s top events, including the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2014 and 2019 along with Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in 2012 and 2016.  Representing FIBA Americas, he has twice officiated the FIBA Americup, 2017 Eurobasket and the Intercontinental Cup Finals in 2019.  As a national official, Weiland has been officiating CIS/U SPORTS since 2004, including four appearances at the National Championships. 

Additionally, Weiland has also been assigned to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Split, Croatia later this summer.

With over 30 years of officiating experience, Nadine is widely regarded as one of Canada’s top officials.  A FIBA Referee Instructor, Level 2, as well as the Chair of the CBOC Development & Education Committee, Nadine transitioned to the role of Instructor after retiring from international refereeing in 2011 having officiated at three FIBA World Championships.  In Canada, Nadine also worked several CIS and CCAA National Championships over the course of her refereeing career.

Nadine also has another pre-Tokyo 2020 assignment, as she will also be heading to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup as a Referee Instructor.

“While the game of basketball in Canada continues to experience a tremendous rise in popularity and participation in recent years, there has been an increased focus on education and officials’ development to support this growth,” said Glen Grunwald, President and CEO, Canada Basketball. “Our merger last year of the Canadian Association of Basketball Officials (CABO) into the Canadian Basketball Officials Commission (CBOC) was a significant step forward towards further aligning our game and unifying our basketball nation.” 

CBOC is a committee under the auspices of Canada Basketball that promotes, advocates for, and provides a transparent, accountable, and consistent governance structure for the organization, administration, growth, and development of basketball officiating and basketball officials throughout Canada.

Twenty-four top teams from across the globe, 12 men and 12 women, will go for gold at the Olympics, starting July 25 in Tokyo.  Canada’s Senior Women’s National Team have qualified for their third consecutive Olympic Games, while the Senior Men’s National Team will host one of four FIBA Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in Victoria, B.C. from June 29-July 4.

-30-For more information, contact:
Matt Walker, mwalker@basketball.ca