The spotlight will shine bright on the numerous competitors during the 2024 Paris Olympics as many of the world’s best athletes they put their immense skill on display.
One local native will play a crucial part during the Games in a different manner, however — as a referee.
Krum’s Jenna Reneau was one of 30 referees selected to officiate the Olympic men’s and women’s basketball games.
She will call some of the men’s games, which get underway with group stage matchups on July 27-August 3 before bracket play runs through the gold and bronze medal games on August 10.
It’s the latest milestone for Reneau in a career that has quickly taken off since she began officiating youth volleyball games while attending Krum High School. She played two years of varsity basketball at Krum before graduating from the school in 2010, having helped the program go 34-2 and reach the area round of the playoffs as a senior.
Reneau moved on to middle school and high school basketball games after graduating from Krum, then eventually worked her way up to calling college basketball games.
She received the North Texas Basketball Officials Association’s Iron Woman of the Year award in 2013 for officiating the most games of any member official that season, all while she was working on a degree in communication studies at UNT.
Making her way through a rigorous vetting process helped Reneau earn a spot refereeing in the NBA G League after meeting a referee scout back in 2015.
Reneau’s rise only continued from there as she officiated her first NBA game on Nov. 26, 2021, a contest in which the Chicago Bulls defeated the Orlando Magic 123-88, according to Basketball Reference. Her most recent NBA action came in a game between the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 5, 2024.
Reneau was one of 32 referees selected to officiate the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments earlier this year before earning a nod for the Games as well.
She’s one of seven women who were selected to call basketball games at the Olympics, and one of just three referees picked from the United States.
Reneau has already made plenty of history throughout an officiating career that has taken her much further than she ever could have imagined in the early stages, when it was just a hobby.
Now, she’s poised for another landmark moment later this week when she gets the chance to officiates games on one of the biggest stages in all of sports.