Officiating Role Empowers Asiimwe, Ramasamy
SU5 star Ritah Asiimwe and retired Para shuttler Batri Narayanan Ramasamy had the unique opportunity to serve as line judges at the recently-concluded HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2024 in Hangzhou, China.
· DIANNE PIERRE
The opportunity arose after BWF sent out an open invitation to current and former Para badminton players to apply. Candidates needed to be in good standing with their National Paralympic Committee and/or Member Association, demonstrate their passion for badminton and how the pathway would benefit them. BWF shortlisted 12 persons and the two who made the final cut received on-site training from certified BWF Technical Officials.
For Asiimwe, the trip to Hangzhou marked several firsts.
Not only was it her first time in China, but it was also her debut as an international line judge. A active player, the Ugandan competed at the BWF Para Badminton World Championships in Thailand in February. Previously, the 38-year-old represented her country at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics on Para badminton's debut.