From left – Chiu, Anthony and Edwin during the Malaysia Masters 2025.
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Badminton Association (SBA) is making steady progress in raising the technical standards of officiating in the state, having conducted a series of successful umpiring and refereeing courses across Sabah and charting more ahead.
According to SBA Technical Committee Chairman, Datuk Anthony C. Linggian, these efforts are essential to ensuring that Sabah keeps pace with national standards in badminton officiating while nurturing a new generation of qualified match officials.
“We are committed to improving the technical capacity of our referees and umpires throughout Sabah. The participation and enthusiasm shown so far are encouraging, and we are confident of producing more certified officials by 2026,” he said.
Among the key highlights was the first Zone-1 umpiring course, held at the Sandakan Sports Complex in 2024, which saw the participation of 46 candidates from Beluran, Telupid, Tongod, Kinabatangan and Sandakan. The course included both theoretical and practical sessions, aimed at building a strong foundation in badminton officiating.
A planned course in Keningau, which was meant to include candidates from Tambunan, Tenom, Nabawan and Keningau districts, had to be postponed due to low turnout. However, SBA is working on rescheduling the session to ensure no zone is left behind.
From January 25 to 26, 2025, SBA successfully conducted another umpiring course for the Tawau zone at SK Muhibbahraya, with 31 candidates attending from Kalabakan, Semporna, Kunak and Tawau. The session was officiated by Datuk Rina Jainal, Political Secretary to the Finance Minister and Kukusan Assemblywoman.
Looking ahead, SBA is preparing for a Zone-4 course in Kota Kinabalu in August 2025, which is particularly crucial for those intending to sit for the BAM Accredited Umpires Theory Exam scheduled for August 23, 2025. The registration deadline for this session is August 6, 2025.
“We encourage all interested individuals, especially from Kota Kinabalu and nearby areas, to take advantage of this upcoming course. It’s a golden opportunity to get certified and potentially officiate at higher-level tournaments,” said Anthony.
SBA also has plans to conduct similar technical courses in Pitas and Tenom, with dates to be announced in due course.
Those interested are encouraged to contact SBA Secretary Rechine (010-8853911) or Anthony (012-8330666) for registration and inquiries.
Meanwhile, Sabah’s technical officials proudly represented the state at the Perodua Malaysia Masters 2025, a World Tour Super 500 event held at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur from May 20 to 25, 2025. Anthony served as Tournament Match Control, while line judges Edwin Godingi (Tuaran) and Chiu Siaw Yin (Kota Kinabalu) contributed significantly to the event’s success.
The tournament, which featured 272 players from 17 countries, was supervised by BWF Referee Julien Nys (Belgium) and Deputy Referee Sandie Zhang (China).
“It was an honour for Sabah to be represented at such a high-level international event. It reflects the growing confidence in the abilities of our technical team,” said Anthony.
With more training initiatives in the pipeline and increasing participation, SBA is optimistic that Sabah will soon be home to a pool of nationally and internationally certified officials, strengthening its contribution to Malaysian badminton.
For updates and announcements, visit SBA’s official channels.