Trinidad and Tobago badminton officials Williams, Yung promoted

Trinidad and Tobago badminton officials PJ Williams and Kevin Yung have been promoted as referee and umpire respectively by Pan Am Badminton.

In 2022, Williams was recommended for referee assessment after the Pan Am Individual tournament in El Salvador. He was originally appointed an accredited referee in 2017.

In 2023, Williams was chosen as head referee for Pan Am’s highest-level tournament and for assessment at the Pan Am Individual championships in Jamaica. Over six days, he was assessed for the highest level in Pan Am Badminton – certificated referee.

Williams has already represented Pan Am Badminton as a referee in South, Central and North America.

Williams is the first and only badminton referee in TT to date. Other referees in the Caribbean are Dionne Haynes from Barbados and Jamaican Trevor McCain.

Yung, who has been an accredited umpire for the last five years, was examined at a Pan Am badminton tournament in the Dominican Republic by an umpires assessors panel. After five days of continuous assessment, it was announced that he had passed and had been graded at the next level – certificated umpire.

Yung has represented Pan Am Badminton in the US, Canada, El Salvador, Suriname, Chile, Jamaica, Barbados, Brazil, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

There are two levels for umpires and referees. An accredited official meets the minimum level required to umpire or referee at all international tournaments in the Pan Am region.

The certificated level is the highest level of umpiring or refereeing and the holder demonstrates he has met all the requirements to perform at that level.

TT badminton officials who have been appointed Pan Am umpires are Patrick Cunningham, Kamasha Robertson, Shaun Sookdeo, Williams and Yung.