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Marteel in 2013

Olivier Marteel (born 10 May 1969)[1] is a Belgian professional snooker referee who officiates on the World Snooker Tour.

Career

Born in Nieuwpoort, he now lives in Gijverinkhove.[2] He first qualified as a referee in 1994 and began refereeing on the main professional tour in 2006.[2] He took charge of his first World Snooker Championship final in 2015, becoming the first Belgian to referee a world final, and the second referee from continental Europe to do so, after Jan Verhaas.[3] Marteel refereed his second world final in 2022.[2][4]

A frontline healthcare worker,[5] he qualified on his twenty-first birthday.[6] He worked as a nurse in Belgium during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite being trained as a radiologist.[7][8] In addition to the World Championships, Marteel has officiated the Masters final twice, in 2016 and 2018, and the UK Championship final twice, in 2016 and 2020.[9] He also plays snooker and has achieved highest breaks of 133 in practice and 78 in competition.[2]

In the 2023 World Snooker Championship he deftly stopped a female Just Stop Oil protester from mounting the table moments after a male protester had done so on the opposite table. His rapid response likely saved the session (And evening) from being rescheduled as the first table was unusable post protest. [10]

References

  1. ↑ "Olivier Marteel - World Snooker". 2020-01-11. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Olivier Marteel - World Snooker". World Snooker. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  3. ↑ "Marteel To Referee World Final - World Snooker". World Snooker. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  4. ↑ "Marteel To Take Charge Of World Final - WPBSA". WPBSA. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  5. ↑ "How a referee is helping to fight coronavirus on frontline in Belgium". The Independent. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  6. ↑ "WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP: MEET SNOOKER REFEREE AND NURSE OLIVIER MARTEEL WHO HALTED CRUCIBLE PROTESTER". Eurosport. April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  7. ↑ "How snooker ref joined frontline fight against Covid". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  8. ↑ "Snooker referee Olivier Marteel is on hospital frontline in Belgium". Sky Sports. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  9. ↑ "Triple Crown Final Referees - World Snooker". World Snooker. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "Snooker Championships ref hauls protester off table as fans say 'don't mess with him'". Daily Star. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
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