Since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the tournament calendar, the ability to attend tournaments has been limited for Oceania’s players and Technical Officials alike.
Many programmes and initiatives have adopted a digital footprint over the last two years – the multiple projects delivered by Badminton Oceania are no exception. Badminton Oceania’s Technical Official Committee (BOTOC), supported by various members of the pool of Technical Official talent, created a series of workshops ‘Getting Back In The Chair’ to be delivered biennially to the region’s umpires via Zoom.
While the usual number of tournaments may have diminished over the last two years, the game continues to evolve. As a result, a series of changes to the rules and regulation have come into play while the umpires have been out of practice. Therefore, the sessions are able to refresh and prepare the umpires for their impending return to international badminton, which for most, will start with the VICTOR Oceania Championships 2022, from 28 April – 1 May 2022.
The first session took place in November 2021, with a follow up recently taking place in March 2022. With 35 attendees from four member associations registered to take part, the session was primarily run by facilitator David Turner – a BWF Umpire Assessor and Oceania Certificated Umpire.
Turner was joined by fellow Technical Officials: Trish Gubb and Jiten Bhatt (BWF Semi-professional umpires), Sidney Galos (BWF Accredited Umpire) and Susan Taylor (BOC Umpire Assessor) who all presented in different areas and shared experiences.
The success of the workshops will see continued delivery into 2022, with another session scheduled to take place in six months’ time.
Moreover, the opportunity for umpires to turn transfer their learnings onto the court will become a reality in 2022 as eight international tournaments (including able-bodied and Para badminton events) are returning to Oceania from April onwards.
| Tournament | Date | Grade |
| VICTOR Oceania Championships 2022 | 28 April – 1 May 2022 | International Challenge |
| 2022 Sydney International | 5-9 October 2022 | International Series |
| 2022 Bendigo International | 12-16 October 2022 | International Challenge |
| North Harbour International 2022 | 19-23 October 2022 | International Challenge |
| CROWN Group Australian Badminton Open | 15-20 November 2022 | HSBC BWF World Tour 300 |
| New Zealand Open | 22-27 November 2022 | HSBC BWF World Tour 300 |
| Manawatu International | 1-4 December 2022 | International Series |
Are you interested in becoming an umpire? Check out the Technical Officials Pathway and reach out to your national member association to find out how you can get involved.
