by Ian Marshall, Editor
All 19 students who had been present for the Basic Umpires Course attended the Basic Referees Course; for the Tournament Organisation Course there were 15 participants, five members being new and not present on the two initial courses. Thus 10 personnel in total attended all three elements.
“I am very satisfied and pleased that I became an instrument to meet the goal of having qualified umpires and referees in this country who can effectively officiate at their local and national tournaments. I am delighted to know how much the participants appreciated me as a trainer and my style of conducting the courses; their eagerness to learn inspired me a lot during the training sessions.” Rachel Ramos
A delighted course conductor, it was the very same from Chathura Jayendra, Acting President of the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka.
“Presently in Sri Lanka we don’t have any qualified match referees. I am grateful to the International Table Tennis Federation and the Asian Table Tennis Union for the opportunity. I must thank Rachel for conducting excellent training sessions here in Colombo. The participants have now a good knowledge about umpiring, match refereeing, and organising tournaments. Almost all of the participants are good players who are also involved in coaching. Now they are having another path to follow in table tennis. Finally, I would like to request the International Table Tennis Federation and the Asian Table Tennis Union to give more opportunities to conduct these kinds of courses in Sri Lanka.” Chathura Jayendrato
Undoubtedly Rachel Ramos was welcome guest and she was grateful for the welcome she received.
“I am grateful for the warm welcome and hospitality given by the organizer. Likewise, I wish to thank Moncho, Ramon Ortega Montes, the Head of ITTF Education, as well as Ms. Yelena Druzhkova, the ITTF Asia Development Manager, for the support they gave me in my preparations for the courses here in Colombo.” Rachel Ramos
Notably, Sadisi Nirasha gained the highest marks at both the Basic Umpires and Basic Referees Courses; she was the only female participant on the Tournament Organisation Course. Notably a total of 13 students passed the Basic Referees Course.
