Two hockey officials upgraded

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has promoted and upgraded two Barbadian officials within their International panel structures for international technical officials and umpires.

Justin Taitt and Shane Lewis were the recipients of the recent FIH promotions, with Taitt being upgraded to the Technical Official International Panel and Lewis receiving his promotion to the Umpire Advancement Panel.

The FIH’s panel structure for technical officials and umpires is a five-tier structure, comprising the panels of International, Advancement, International Elite, Pro League, and World Cup, where World Cup is the highest and most prestigious panel. Technical Officials make up the desk team that administer and control a match, while umpires are the on-field officials who enforce the rules and arbitrate on matters arising from play.

Shane Lewis

Taitt, who was appointed as a Pan American Continental Trainee Technical Official in 2017, has made consistent appearances around the region, with his most recent appointment being to the 2022 Pan American Cup in Chile in January this year – a World Cup qualifier. Taitt is one of 26 other males on the Technical Official International Panel, and one of only two from the Caribbean, as being named to the Technical Official International Panel.

On the umpiring side, Lewis, a Sports Coordinator for the UWI Academy of Sport, was appointed as an international umpire in 2014, and made history in 2017 when he was made the first Barbadian umpire to hold the designation as both an international Indoor and Outdoor FIH Hockey umpire. Lewis received a promotion to the FIH Umpire Advancement Panel. There are 32 male umpires in the Advancement panel, which lists international umpires with high potential of reaching the Pro League Panel or International Elite Panel within 3 years. This represents a rare promotion for a Caribbean umpire.

Lewis now joins a very short and exclusive list of Barbadian international hockey umpires to advance beyond the International Panel, which includes well-known sports administrator and BOA Vice-President Cameron Burke, who retired from international Hockey umpiring in 2002 as a Grade 1 international umpire at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, under the former international umpiring grading scheme.

(PR)