The Russian Olympic Committee hosted the first certification process for cricket umpires in the Russian Federation.

The event’s guest of honor was Ms. Shobini Kaushala Gunasekera, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sri Lanka to Russia. Together with Igor Kazikov, President of the Russian Cricket Union, she presented certificates to the candidates who had successfully passed the certification board’s assessment.

The aspiring umpires listened attentively to this guidance. All 12 candidates successfully passed the certification process and were accepted into the Moscow Cricket Federation as trainee umpires. They will gain practical experience officiating friendly and unofficial matches organized by the federation (outside the official All-Russian Sports Calendar).

On October 5, following the reclassification of cricket to the second section of the All-Russian Register of Sports, the Moscow Cricket Federation will submit a formal request to the Moscow Department of Sport (Moskomsport) to grant the qualification of «Category III Umpire» to seven of the candidates. 3 of them are the members of the IСС team: wicket keeper Rayhan and batsmans Alex Izotov and Supun.