Three umpires will join the Oceania Technical Officials Development Programme for 2026 after successful nominations from the Australian Technical Officials Committee.
Last week, Kasuni Madhumi Arachchi, Nicholas Chin, and Casim Casim were accepted onto the programme to continue their umpiring journey.
The BOC Development Programme supports referees and umpires who have been identified as having the potential to progress to BWF accreditation
The programme, which began in 2022, is separated into three stages:
- Stage One is for National/Pacific qualified umpires and referees.
- Stage Two is for Oceania Accredited umpires and referees.
- Stage Three is for Oceania Certified umpires and referees.
Casim will rejoin the programme at Stage Two, while Arachchi and Chin will begin their journey at Stage One.
“I feel grateful for being nominated by my TOC and subsequently being accepted onto the programme,” said Chin. “Since gaining my umpire qualifications, I have set my sights on working towards BWF status. This programme will play an important role in that journey by providing regular access to international opportunities.”
Two other umpires have also moved up to Stage Two after successfully gaining Oceania Accredited Umpire at the end of 2025 – Suyuan (Michael) Liu, and Gritto Augustine.
We also witnessed our first graduate in 2025, with Eugene Glazman’s appointment as BWF referee.
There are currently 12 members in the programme.
Umpire Stage One
| Chris Milne | OUT OF |
| Sad He | OUT OF |
| Lisa Collins | NZL |
| Chanmony Khieng | NZL |
| Kasuni Madhumi Arachchi | OUT OF |
| Nicholas Chin | OUT OF |
Umpire Stage Two
| Rita Chen | NZL |
| Suyuan (Michael) Liu | NZL |
| Gritto Augustine | NZL |
| Casim Casim | OUT OF |
Referee Stage One
| Michelle Njoman | NZL |
| Simon Lin | NZL |
