Cook Islands Football Association competition manager Pauline Dean worked as a match coordinator at the Paris Olympics, assisting with football matches.

Pauline Dean has been a staff member at the Cook Islands Football Association (CIFA) for over a decade.

As competition manager at CIFA, she has overseen countless local and regional tournaments, ensuring the logistics ran smoothly.

Dean was thrilled to attend the Olympic Games for the first time in Paris, working for the international body, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), to assist with football matches.

She returned home yesterday.

“Being in Paris, France, and at the Olympics … I never thought it would ever happen to me,” shares Dean.

“Highlights for me have been meeting new friends that work in football around the world. Seeing the Moroccan football star Hakimi (Achraf Hakimi) and French female football superstar Wendie Thérèse Renard with thy eyes.

“And watching the fireworks to kick start the festivities in Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower.”

Based in the city of Saint-Étienne, Dean was appointed as one of the match coordinators and assisted the match director in delivering the football matches.

Her responsibilities and duties included the preparation of documents for meetings with teams, assisting with kit inspections to ensure they are within regulations with FIFA and Olympic rules, and ensuring the stadium is ready including the pitch, changing rooms, and other facilities.

During the matches, Dean kept an eye on the flow of everything in the competition area such as the tunnel and benches.

She assisted the referees with their reports, ensured their equipment was ready on match day, and made sure all functional areas are aware of timings including the arrival of teams, referees, pitch watering, flag walkouts and anthems, right up to the opening whistle.

Dean said they also ensured the match documents were filed and sent back to FIFA.

The football competition at the Paris Olympics concludes with the gold medal playoffs on August 10 and 11.