FAQ - MBA Official's Association

What is a badminton official?

There are three types of officials in the sport of Badminton:

Referee

Umpire

Linesman

The Referee takes responsibility for making sure the tournament is run according to all the rules, is fair and that sportsmanship is being upheld.  There must be one Referee at all MBA Sanctioned Events.

The Umpire takes responsibility for running individual matches.  He or she is responsible for making all final decisions for points awarded in a match.  Umpires are mandatory for final matches in the MBA Provincial Closed and Junior Closed, as well as any Badminton Canada or World Badminton Federation tournaments.

Linesmen take responsibility for making line calls on shuttles that land on the floor of the badminton court.  They are there to assist the umpire in making the best decision possible.  Linesmen are not mandatory for any provincial tournaments, but are frequently used in more important matches.

 

When and Where are Officials used in Badminton?

Badminton Officials are used in any badminton event sanctioned by your local amateur badminton association, or any sanctioned event at a higher level.  In Manitoba, all badminton events sanctioned by the Manitoba Badminton Association are required to have at least 1 certified provincial referee present at all times.

Currently MBA sanctions tournaments in Winnipeg, Selkirk, Steinbach and Thompson on a yearly basis, and we're looking to expand to other parts of Manitoba to more effectively utilize officials and spread the love of badminton.

Officials are used in junior tournaments, open tournaments and seniors/masters tournaments.

Officials can be used at any level of tournament, as long as the tournament organizer feels it is beneficial to have a professional on hand to make sure the tournament is running smoothly.

 

How do I become an Official with MBA?

Official hopefuls must go through the following steps to be certified as a Regional Umpire:

  • Attend Rules/Official's Clinic & Pass Examination
  • Complete Training Hours while being monitored by a Provincial Level Referee validated by MBA

Regional Umpires are able to become Provincial Umpires by completing the following steps:

  • Theory - Must attend a Provincial Umpires Clinic & Pass Examination
  • Practical - Must, over the course of 1-2 years, A) Umpire a minimum of 20 quarter-final or higher matches, and B) Service judge a minimum of 10 quarter-final or higher matches.
  • Technical - Once the practical portion is completed, the regional umpire can try the technical evaluation.