Lelia Sacre, Tyler Klenk and Wendy Stewart heading to Birmingham for the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Field Hockey Canada is proud to announce the nominations of Wendy Stewart, Tyler Klenk and Lelia Sacre as members of the officiating team bound for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK.
The competition, which will take place July 28 to August 8 in the UK, features Commonwealth Countries such as Canada, England, Scotland, and India among others. Laurie Hogan, chairperson of the FHC Officials Committee, said this opportunity is important to furthering Canadian representation on the world stage.
“The Commonwealth Games offer a great opportunity for our officials to develop and participate in high level matches,” she said. “Not only will the hockey be great, but an event like this also gives them a chance to reconnect with old friends and make new friends. Multi-sport games have such a high energy and positive atmosphere, they will have a lot of fun both on and off the field.”
Stewart, the most experienced of the Canadian delegation, will be playing the role of Umpire Manager. She was an on-pitch umpire at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, and shortly after made the transition to primarily UM. Stewart was most recently appointed to the 2022 Pan American Cup, held last month in Santiago, Chile (photographed below).
Lelia Sacre and Tyler Klenk both represented Canada at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Photos/Yan Huckendubler
Klenk and Sacre, who both have their FIH International Elite Badges, are Canada’s most experienced current on-field umpires. Klenk recently traveled to Bhubaneswar for the Junior Men’s World Cup and Sacre is fresh off a trip to South Korea, where she officiated the Asian Champions Trophy. Both of them represented Canada at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018 and are looking forward to their second time around. Klenk said he looks forward to umpiring great hockey nations and developing more experience at major multi-sport games.
“The 2018 Commonwealth Games were an incredible experience, as the Gold Coast was my first multi-sport games,” Klenk said. “The Commonwealth Games are like a smaller version of the Olympics, where some of the best athletes from around the world participate. The massive celebration of sport with people from around the world makes the Commonwealth Games a bucket-list event for many umpires.”
The nominations for the competing teams will be made in late February. Canada’s national teams are both ranked 13th in the world and are expected to get the nod for the event. The hockey tournament starts on July 28, 2022. Stay tuned for schedules and team rosters in the coming months.
Megan Robertson has been named an alternate umpire. She will not travel unless another official drops out and she is selected. Robertson most recently worked at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Canada’s Tyler Klenk officiating a match at the 2021 Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup. Photo/Provided
