Badminton is a fast-paced sport that requires players to be agile and precise in their shot-making. But apart from them, the match officials also need to make the right calls as the match moves faster.

Plus, the area of play is also limited, which further needs the officials to make the right judgements with the margin of error being too small.

The good thing about officiating a badminton match is that not only one or two officials oversee the proceeding. There are a good number of officials on the court to make sure the match proceeds without any unfair decisions.

So how many officials are present during badminton matches?

Well, the answer is 13 officials. However, the number may vary based on the level of the tournament.

If you watch any major badminton tournament organised by BWF, you can notice 13 technical officials on the court. The referee headlines the group of technical officials, which includes an umpire, a service judge, and 10 line judges.

What is the role of technical officials in badminton matches?

In simple terms, the main task of these officials is to conduct matches in a smooth manner, along with getting the right calls. But they do have certain responsibilities to carry during badminton matches. So we’ll look at the role of every official in brief.

Badminton Referee

The referee has the highest authority in any badminton tournament. Every tournament has a referee in place who looks after almost everything that happens on and off the court.

They assess the venue, court, player facilities, and match schedules. The group of technical officials reports to the referee. 

They also communicate with players, coaches, and officials regarding all the arrangements. However, you won’t notice the presence of the referee on the court. 

Badminton Umpire

While a tournament has only a single referee, there are umpires who officiate matches in the tournament. They have the final say as a match takes place on the court.

You will notice the umpire quite easily, as they sit on the tall chair close to the net. They keep an eye on the players and make sure they are playing by the rules.

The umpires award points to the shuttlers, accept the challenges made by the players, and keep the proceedings fair for both sides.

Service Judge

You will come across a service judge sitting opposite the umpire. As the name suggests, they judge if the services made by shuttlers are valid or not. If the service is not valid, then they will call a service fault.

Apart from that, the service judges have the task of replacing the shuttlecocks if players make any such requests.

Line Judge

The task of line judges is quite difficult, as they have to make precise calls without creating any controversy. Their role is to check whether the shuttle has landed in the playing area or outside.

You will notice that there are almost 10 line judges, occupying spots at different locations around the court. There are baseline judges situated towards the end of both halves who check if the shuttle landed in or out.

There are midline judges who sit close to the service judge to ensure that the service made by the server lands in the right area. And just like the baseline judges, there are sideline judges to check if the birdie lands within the sideline or outside of it.

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