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NMBA members to take umpire course
In this 2018 file photo, game officials work on the three matches at the Northern Marianas Badminton Association-organized tournament at the TSL Sports Complex. (Contributed Photo)
Northern Marianas Badminton Association members will attend Badminton Oceania’s Pacific Umpire Course next month.
Badminton World Federation certified umpire David Turner, who officiated matches in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, will conduct the free online course that will be held every Monday, starting on Oct. 12. The course is divided into eight sessions and will be held at 6pm (New Zealand time)
NMBA president Merlie Tolentino said they welcome the opportunity to take and complete the course under an experienced and certified umpire like Turner, as the association works on developing a pool of officials that will facilitate local and international tournaments in the future.
According to Badminton Oceania, the region has more than 30 umpires with different levels of experiences. For the Pacific zone, umpires are categorized into two, accredited and certified. As umpires, they are in charge of the court and its immediate surroundings and have the responsibility to implement the laws, code of conducts, and rules and regulations of the BWF.
Badminton Oceania added that “umpires must keep track of the scores and announce them in between each point and make calls on service faults, other player faults and lets. Any incident must also be noted by the umpire and reported to the referee. The umpires’ jurisdiction exists from the time that players enter the court before starting to the match until the time that they leave once the match is complete. The umpire reports to and acts under the authority of the referee.”
Participants that will complete the eight-session course will join Samoa’s Joel and Cherish Reti in Pacific Oceania’s pool of accredited umpires. After taking Badminton Oceania’s and Samoa Badminton Federation’s national technical official development course in January last year, the siblings umpired at the Pacific Games in Apia. They were also invited to officiate in the VICTOR Oceania Championships 2020 held early this year.
