Satinder Sharma to officiate in Champions Trophy

International hockey umpire Satinder Sharma, who officiated at the World Cup at Kuala Lumpur earlier this year, will be doing duty in the 24th men's Champions Trophy hockey tournament, to be played in Cologne, Germany, from August 31 to September 8.

Sharma also had the honour of officiating in the men's Junior World Cup in Hobart, Australia.

Having started umpiring only six years back, the Chandigarh-based umpire has come a long way.

"I was the only Indian umpire invited to supervise matches in Hobart in October last and at Kuala Lumpur in February this year," he informed.

Asked what is expected of an umpire to conduct a match efficiently, the 37-year-old State Bank of India employee said, "An umpire should be physically fit, have good positioning and be able to take neutral decisions."

For Sharma, who will be leaving for Germany on Tuesday, to officiate at the Olympics remains his "dream assignment".