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A Comparison of the Emotional Intelligence and Psychological Skills of National and International Taekwondo Referees

Officiating is a challenging role within sports that requires many psychological skills as well as emotional intelligence, the ability to recognize and moderate personal emotions and the emotions of others, while simultaneously processing the information to make an informed decision about the present situation. Although many studies have investigated these characteristics within athletes and coaches to improve sports performance, officials overseeing these competitive environments have been largely ignored. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological skills and emotional intelligence of national and international taekwondo referees. Participants were 10 international and 10 national referees who completed four measures of psychological skills and emotional intelligence. National referees scored significantly higher on emotional intelligence and most psychological skills. This was surprising, suggesting either national referees feel more emotionally and psychologically competent perhaps from more regular practice and/or international referees are more self-aware of their limitations and less likely to score themselves highly on a self-report measure. Future research should consider comparison of referees across genders, nationality, levels, sport, and other demographics.