Twelve hopefuls are in Wuhan – aspiring to take their badminton umpiring to the next level – coming under close scrutiny of three course Conductors and Assessors to make the grade as Badminton World Federation (BWF) umpires.
The three course conductors and assessors are Mr. Girish Natu (India), Ms Sandie Zheng Sanliang (China) and Mr Teo Kian Joo (Malaysia) – all of whom bring a wealth of experience in the sport.
The twelve from 10 countries are certified Badminton Asia Umpires and the on-going 2018 Wuhan City of Automobile Badminton Asia Championships is their "stepping stone" to upgrade themselves and move up to the BWF level.
They have already done the theory on April 23 and now doing the practical during during the tournament proper from April 24-29. The course began on April 21.
China and Bangladesh have two representatives each for upgrading while Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Thailand, Japan and Indonesia have one candidate each.
They 12 are:
Shen Yuqi (China)
Jiang Shiying (China)
Hafizur Rahman Khan (Bangladesh)
Ayaz Al-Amin (Bangladesh)
Lim Szu Ching (Malaysia)
Balarina Syiem (India)
Kasun Maduranga (Sri Lanka)
Muhammad Hatta (Indonesia)
Anilkumar Mukundan (Bahrain)
Iwashita Shinjiroh (Japan)
Arin Nilsakul (Thailand)
Tzeng Yen Wen (Chinese Taipei)
"My love and passion for badminton is second to none. To be a BWF umpire is my ultimate goal," said Anilkumar, an accountant by profession, from Bahrain.
India's Balarina, a full-time badminton coach in Shillong, is equally excited to have come this far in her umpiring.
"This is a great opportunity for me to go up the ladder in my umpiring. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will be successful in Wuhan," said Balarina, a former player herself.
