Canadian lifter's mom selected to officiate at Olympics

Moira Lassen, the mother of Canadian Olympic weightlifter Jeane Lassen, has been selected as the only Canadian and only female to officiate the sport in Beijing.

The Yukon resident, a Canadian weightlifting official, will help judge Olympic competitions with four other men.

"I was really excited to hear I was selected," she said.

Lassen, 44,  says she's honoured to have been chosen, but also says it's not the first time her work has been recognized.

"I started officiating in 2003, and was told by someone from Iraq that I was a very just referee, so I guess I was more than complimented on that," she said.

Her daughter Jeane, 27, is a strong medal contender for this year's Olympics in the 75kg weight class.

The official has been involved in the Canadian weightlifting circuit for years, having held high positions within the sport as a judge and as a competitor.

When she found out in early April that she was chosen to officiate at the Games, she kept quiet because her daughter was in the process of securing a spot.

"I was extremely happy … but we had to remain focused on the task at hand, which was qualifying Jeane, and then we could celebrate later," she said.

Gender can be a challenge

Weightlifting made its Olympic debut in 1896, but it was only in Sydney in 2000 that women were allowed to compete.

 Lassen notes that being a female official in a male-dominated sport can be challenging.

"The sport of weightlifting in itself is traditional, so it attracts traditional thinkers," she said. "Change can be slow and rather tumultuous at times."

With her daughter's success as an example — Jeane holds six Canadian records — she says female athletes have seen more success in recent years.

"But work still needs to be done for women in the areas of coaching, officiating and decision-making," she said.

As a technical official heading to Beijing, she said preparation is similar to that of the athlete, except for the physical demands.