Mexico Takes a Step Forward
October 17, 2007

Nilo Castillo, the Technical Director of the Mexican Table Tennis Federation Photo By: Raul Calin

Courtesy of ITTF A major problem facing Mexico is the lack of umpires. Therefore, in order to address the problem, an Umpires Course was organized in Cancun from Thursday October 11th to Sunday October 14, 2007; the expert on duty was Costa Rica’s Fernando Aguilar. The country has potentially fine players in the guise of Marcos Madrid and Sarah Rosas in particular; especially in Latin American competitions they have shown themselves to be most worthy adversaries.

However, when it comes to domestic tournaments there is a paucity of officials; it is only at the annual National Olympiad tournament, which involves five hundred players under the age of eighteen, that officials are seen in any numbers.

First Day
The course in Cancun was a first step to solving the problem.

Twelve students, mostly from Quintana Roo and Yucatan in the south of the country attended the four day course. The first day focused on the different levels of umpiring, the regulations with respect to serving and the expedite system.

Remaining Days
On day two, attention was paid to player behavior and coaching, the jurisdiction of match officials and field of play procedures.

Meanwhile, on day three matters were reviewed, tests were held and topics analyzed with the final day seeing theory put into practice.

Cancun Open Championships
The course precedes the Cancun Open Championships which commences on Friday October 19th and concludes on Monday October 21, 2007; the tournament is a popular annual event with Cancun being a popular tourist resort noted for its history, miles of beaches and extensive nightlife.

Undoubtedly, the Umpires Course will not immediately solve the difficulties which Mexico faces with respect to officials but it is a step in the right direction and gives support to Cuba’s Nilo Castillo, who is currently working in Mexico as the Technical Director.

One small step, not a giant leap, but a move in the right direction.

The prospective umpires in Cancun.
Photo courtesy of Fernando Aguilar