Devon Wisdom: Jamaica’s sole international badminton umpire eyes BWF level

The 47-year-old enjoys being a part of different types of sports but has a special love for nontraditional sports like table tennis, volleyball, golf and especially badminton. He was involved in sporting activities from the age of 11 when he started playing football and cricket in primary school then basketball throughout his high school years at Arden High.
Despite his interest in unique sports, he had no idea what badminton was until he was invited to a badminton workshop at G.C. Foster College in 2014. This invitation was extended by a former supervisor at his current job at the Institute of Sports (INSPORTS) where Wisdom has been a sports coordinator for over 15 years.

“As a sport fanatic, I went with an open mind to learn what badminton was about and they teach us the basics and I fell in love with the sport that same day. I wanted to know more so I asked the gentleman how could I get involve with the sport; so he put me on to the Jamaica Badminton Association (JBA) and then I did the level 1 coaching course like two months after (which) was successful,” Wisdom excitedly explained.

He was later introduced to Trevor McCain who is the only badminton referee in Jamaica where he received training to become a badminton umpire. With his new found love for the sport, Wisdom began to attend classes on weekends to be fully prepared for umpiring before attending tournaments. In 2016, he completed a successful umpire course and became a national umpire.

Wisdom quickly reached the top as national umpire and was ready for the international assessment when he was invited on duty to the CAREBACO Championships in Barbados in 2019.
“That was my first overseas tournament and I did very well and from then, people start to hear about Wisdom from Jamaica, my name was all over the place then,” he said of an accomplishment made possible by funding from the Ministry of Sport. 

In the midst of his fast badminton recognition, the covid-19 pandemic slowed things down in 2020 as there was a pause on international badminton. Despite this major setback, Wisdom continued his umpiring journey in Jamaica at local tournaments. Subsequently, the pause on international badminton was partially lifted in 2021 and fully operational by 2022. However, Wisdom’s first opportunity for assessment was in 2023 in Peru where he succeeded as an official Badminton Pan Am (BPA) accredited umpire.

“He excelled and was one of the top candidates. To confirm this notion he officiated in an international tournament in Suriname a few months after where he received commendations from the referee and participants,” his trainer Trevor McCain tells Old Harbour News. “To further confirm his outstanding work he was invited by the regional body, Pan Am, to officiate at the 2024 junior championships in Mexico and he was one of only two foreign invitees to be invited to officiate at the inaugural Air Badminton Junior Championships also in Mexico this year…he represented Jamaica with distinction.”

Wisdom’s goal is to further advance himself to become a Badminton World Federation (BWF) umpire where he would be privileged to officiate at the highest levels like the World Championships and the Olympics. To get to this level, Wisdom is currently seeking sponsors to assist in funding his journey. He is working towards officiating at tournaments that would give him the required exposure which pose a problem due to expensive airfare.

“I am trying to get to as many tournament that I can to get experience and also tackle the instant review system (IRS) in like some European countries so I need to get those experiences for me to be considered for BWF level and to get to those places, the airfare is high so I am currently seeking sponsors for airfare because once I get there, they will take care of accommodation,” he stated. “I have actually started looking. I  reached out to past JBA presidents, couple media houses, a telecommunications service provider but I am not big on social media as yet…but I am working so hard to get there.”

According to Wisdom, because badminton is not considered a traditional sport in Jamaica, there is not enough funding put in place to equip the JBA with certain involvement. He mentioned that the association has limited sponsors and sometime host fundraising tournaments and/or send players to play in the region or internationally. But he remains determined to get to the highest level and is hoping that persons who wish to sponsor him or know persons who can, to contact him at 876 387 0888.

“I expect that he will be singled out to receive additional training in advance of an opportunity for promotion to the highest regional level. Devon has got very good comments from referees in all tournaments and often gets assigned the major finals,” McCain said. “I continue to develop training programmes for him to constantly  sharpen his skills and remain current, two qualities that are vital for a good umpire. Both he and I are actively recruiting and training more umpires to follow us to the international level.”

Additionally, Wisdom mentioned that persons who are interested in becoming a badminton umpire can contact the JBA which will then transfer them to the National Association of Badminton Umpires and Court Officials (NABUCO) for training, which he is a part of.

“Look at me now, when I go to a country and I see mostly white people and different races and I see only two or three Blacks like myself, and the Spanish group up talking their language, I sometimes wonder if there would do favouritism or be bias but I end up doing better than the majority when assessed so it’s a good feeling and it makes me feel proud to be representing Jamaica,” reminisced Wisdom.