SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, CMC-An umpire, officiating in the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) International Under-19 Championship, has been banned for the rest of the tournament after a number of wrong line calls led to the elimination of Guyanese player Narayan Ramdhani at the quarter final stage.
An investigation was carried out after a report was made to the Chief Umpire and Tournament Director following the controversial calls in the third set of a three-set encounter .
Angel Marinez Ulloa of the Dominican Republic won the first set 20-16 but lost the second to his Guyanese opponent 18-21. However Ramdhani was leading 20-16 in the third set when four wrong calls by the DR line judges favoured the DR Player.
As a result, the young Guyanese player lost the match 23-21, prompting the probe followed by the disciplinary action against the umpire who has been prevented from officiating for the rest of the tournament.
The team phase of the Under-19 CAREBACO tournament was due to start on Monday with Guyana in Group B alongside Puerto Rico, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Group A consists of Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Suriname and Panama.