SLTA to pick four candidates for ATF officiating course
KUCHING: The Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) will identify four potential candidates from Sarawak to attend the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) officiating course via Zoom from August onwards.
SLTA president Dato Patrick Liew Chin Joon said the four Sarawakians would be among the 20 over Malaysians attending the officiating course for white badge officiating.
Liew, who is also Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia vice president cum tournaments and officiating chairman, is trying to get these participants to gradually become full-time international tournament officials.
“I recently attended an ATF webinar on officiating via Zoom where the Asian tennis governing body is encouraging countries in the Asian region to produce more officials.
“ITF is granting a fund of US$500 each to any Asian country which will organise the white badge officiating course that shall comprise a minimum of eight participants and to last for at least four hours,” Liew told The Borneo Post yesterday.
Liew said interested countries need to submit their applications to organise the officiating course to lTF by July 31.
“During the meeting, I also brought up the issue that during the Movement Control Order due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our officials had basically no income as all tournaments have been cancelled,” said Liew.
On another development, Liew said LTAM has written to lTF and ATF to inform them that all international events in the country from now until end of December have been cancelled.
“We are cancelling all international competitions because of the movement restriction order by the respective countries in the efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19, limited flights in and out of the countries, quarantine issue and uncertainty of participants coming to the events.
“However, we are looking at organising local tournaments in Malaysia to provide exposure to our Sukma players and these tournaments will be organised according to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) requirements laid out by the government,” added Liew.