Badminton Asia's – Iran's Mansooreh Sadat Jarchian and Indonesia's Andi Purnama – are two of the bright sparks in umpiring who are on the verge of breaking into the elite group at the world stage.
The two have a story of their own – interesting stories – that can inspire budding umpires who can turn to officiate badminton matches and see the world that is bonded by diverse multi-ethnic cultures, food, religions and not forgetting the beauty of a country.
Mansooreh and Andi two of the three Badminton Asia umpires who are currently in Wuhan, China officiating at the 39th edition of the Asian Championships in the City of Automobile.
Andi, who holds a Masters Degree in Sports Management from the Makassar University and had stints with the All-Indonesia Olympics Council (KONI) and the All-Indonesia Women's Sports Council plus other sports bodies in the country.
Interestingly, the shuttle sport became her priority and it was not an easy journey for Andi.
"I had to do 100 tournaments at all levels before I was given the green light to sit for my first theory and practical in the sport. I took it as a challenge and was determined to make my mark as an umpire," said Andi, who is now a successful businesswoman in Makassar.
She got through her National Grade B in 2005 and a year later qualified as National Grade A during the Indonesia Open. In 2008 Andi got Badminton Asia accreditation in 2008 in Kuala Lumpur – which was the passport to better her umpiring in the following years.
After the on-going Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan, Andi will officiate at the Indonesia Open in July before heading to Europe for the Denmark Open in October.
"It is my dream to be a BWF umpire," said And, who will be making her first trip to Europe.
Just like Andi, Mansooreh is also chasing her "BWF dream" and will also be making her first trip to Europe for the Denmark Open.
Mansooreh first started playing badminton at the age of 18 but two years later she switched to umpiring and has no regrets.
"It is my dream to be a BWF umpire…and I have the full support of my family in this matter," said Mansooreh, who works with a telecommunications company.
She first attended an international umpiring course which was conducted by Malaysia's Francis Seow way back in 1998 and later got her Badminton Asia Certification at the Thailand Open in 2002 under the watchful eyes of Thailand's Nahathai Sornprachum.
"I love badminton. Although I did not really get into playing the game I took a different root to be involved in the sport…to become an umpire. And here I am on achieving my dream of officiating at the highest level of the game."
"Through badminton, I have made not only get to travel and visit countries but to learn and appreciate different cultures and food. I love seafood and noodles.
"The chili crabs in Malaysia is the best I have tasted. I also love spicy food and in India, Thailand, and Malaysia," added Mansooreh
