There are no glass partitions, no electronic displays, no hushed corridors leading to a grand stadium.

Just a canvas tent beside the track at Universiti Putra Malaysia in Serdang — a table, plastic chairs, and papers weighed down against the afternoon breeze.

At the centre sits R S Selvee, who turns 83 in May, quietly in command.

Small in stature but unmistakably in charge, she scans start lists, checks names, confirms details.

Around her, younger officials consult and comply. Athletes step forward with questions. She listens, answers, and moves them along.

There is no raised voice, no theatrics. Just order, built on years.

“Everything must be correct,” she says. “If one mistake happens, it affects the race.”

Last weekend, at the Federal Territories Athletics Association (FTAA) junior all-comers two-day meet for athletes aged 16 to 21, Selvee was call room referee, the final checkpoint before athletes step onto the track.

But the scale of the task was anything but modest.

A total of 1,298 athletes competed, stretching operations to the limit, with as many as 20 heats in the boys’ 100m and 14 in the girls’, 17 and 10 respectively in the 200m, and 19 and 10 in the 400m.

Every name, every lane, every spike check had to be right.

Selvee did not miss a beat.

“You have to check properly. Names, numbers, everything,” she says. “They are nervous. You must be calm.”

For more than half a century, she has carried out the many roles that keep athletics running — on the track, behind the desk, and wherever the meet demands.

The call room is only one part of a lifetime spent ensuring competitions run as they should.

She does it without fuss.

From classroom to competition

A Tamil school teacher by profession, she was once asked at a school sports meet to try announcing, her fluency in Malay and English making her a natural fit.

Her first assignment came at Merdeka Stadium, a step into a world she never left.

Encouraged by then FTKLAA secretary V Vegiyathuman, she took a technical officials course, sat for the track officiating examination and passed.

She went on to earn a Grade One certificate in track and field officiating, beginning a career of service that has spanned more than five decades.

Since 1972, Selvee has worked across the full spectrum of track officiating: managing athletes, enforcing procedures, overseeing competitions and supporting meet operations at every level.

She has officiated at thousands of meets, moving where she is needed, relied upon for her accuracy and calm judgment.

“There was always work,” she says. “Before the meet, during the meet, after the meet. You must be ready.”

Her contribution extended beyond the field. She served as assistant secretary of FTKLAA and later as competitions chairman, helping shape how meets were organised and delivered.

She also passed on her knowledge. Her last lecture for younger officials was two years ago.

“You must know the rules,” she says. “You cannot guess. If you don’t know, you learn.”

Selvee never married. Her time, she says, was always available.

“I have all the time to do public service,” she says. “So I go when they call.”

For her, athletics has never been employment. It is responsibility.

“If you say you will come, you must come. People are depending on you.”

Embodying the athletics spirit

Athletics has evolved. Technology has improved. Systems are faster and athletes better prepared.

Selvee does not dwell on the changes.

“The rules are the rules,” she says. “That one does not change.”

Her principles remain constant: fairness, accuracy and discipline.

That consistency is why she is still called upon.

“Selvee embodies the very heart of athletics in the Federal Territories,” says FTAA president V Pulainthiran.

“Her passion is not measured by years, but by the countless athletes and officials she has nurtured and inspired. Her dedication remains as steadfast as ever.

“She doesn’t just officiate events, she champions the spirit of sport itself.”

He is clear about why she remains on the association’s roster of technical officials.

“We include Selvee not out of respect for her age, but because of the wisdom, precision and integrity she brings to every event,” he says.

“Her deep experience elevates every competition, and her love for athletics continues to set a standard for all of us.

“Selvee’s contribution goes beyond officiating. She mentors young officials, demonstrates professionalism under pressure, and reminds us all that sport thrives on commitment, whether you are 20 or 80.”

Selvee takes a simpler view. “You just do your job properly,” she says.

She remembers when results were written by hand, when officials relied as much on instinct as instruction, when meets were held together by volunteers who gave their time without expectation.

She was a familiar presence at the Malay Mail Big Walk in the 1980s and 1990s — long days, large crowds, relentless organisation.

She still keeps the event T-shirts. “I still wear them at home,” she says, with a small smile. “Very good memories.”

Back under the tent in Serdang, the next race is being called.

An athlete approaches, unsure of a detail. Selvee looks up, listens, gives a brief instruction, and points. The athlete nods and moves on.

Everything is in place. The race will run clean.

“I will keep doing it until I can’t walk,” she says. “I like to come. I like to help.”

At an age when most have long stepped aside, she remains — not for recognition, not for ceremony, but for the quiet, exacting responsibility of getting things right.

Across five decades, thousands of meets, and roles that span the entire discipline of track officiating, she has done just that.