Mukaila Akin Jimoh, a former table tennis player turned umpire from Abeokuta, has reached a significant milestone in his officiating career by earning the prestigious Blue Badge status, making him the first Nigerian to achieve this honour.
Jimoh’s journey into officiating began in 2007 when he was employed by the Ogun State Sports Council. He became a national umpire in 2018 and has since officiated numerous local and national tournaments.
His dedication and skill led to his qualification for the International Umpire examination organised by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) in 2022.
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Out of 38 Nigerian national umpires who sat for the exam, only two passed, with Jimoh achieving the highest score. He was awarded a special International Umpire (IU) number, 22816.
In a brief interview with Completesports.com, Jimoh expressed joy, attributing his success to hard work and dedication.
“It’s a joy for me, with God on my side, to have proved myself again after I scored the highest when I first became an International Umpire. Many are still striving to become International Umpires, let alone attempting the Advanced Rules Examination,” he said.
Jimoh’s international umpiring career took off with his first overseas assignment at the ITTF Para Italian International Tournament, the Lignano Masters Open 2023 in Venice, Italy.
His expertise was further recognised when he was selected to officiate at the WTT Contender Lagos in June 2024 and later at the ITTF World Masters Table Tennis Championships in Rome, Italy.
At this prestigious event, which featured 6,100 participants, Jimoh was the only umpire invited from Nigeria, among 176 umpires from around the world.
With two years of international umpiring experience, Jimoh became eligible to progress to the Blue Badge level, the highest rank for table tennis umpires.
The Advanced Rules Examination
(ARE) for this qualification was held in Rome on July 10, 2024, during the World Masters Championships.
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