Asia Rugby Announces Match Officials for Combined Division 1 & 2 Championship

As the excitement builds for the kickoff of the Asia Rugby season with the Combined Division 1 & 2 Championship 2024, Asia Rugby has announced the group of match officials who will oversee the exhilarating clashes set to unfold at the Racecourse Ground in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

With teams from Sri Lanka, Qatar, Kazakhstan, and India poised to battle it out in a knockout format, the selection of match officials underscores Asia Rugby’s commitment to ensuring fair play and the highest standards of officiating across the tournament.

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The referee manager for this tournament will be Anil Jayasinghe (Sri Lanka Rugby )

Game 1, Qatar v Kazakhstan is set to take place on April 30th, Sri Lanka Rugby Union (SLR) referees will take centre stage, led by referee Ishanka Abeykoon. Abeykoon will be supported by Assistant Referees Raveen Alexander and Yatawara Dugganna, both also from SLR. The match will be overseen by Performance Reviewer Jason Broderick from Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) who will be working remotely, with Citing Commissioner Senanayake Wimal Rohan and Judicial Officer Shahid Sangani, both from SLR, ensuring adherence to the highest standards of the game.

Game 2, Sri Lanka v India scheduled for the same day, will feature Referee Just Wang from the Singapore Rugby Union (SRU), alongside Assistant Referees JP Clements from the UAE Rugby Federation (UAERF) and Seo lnsoo from the Korea Rugby Union (KRU). David Harper from UAERF who will be working remotely will serve as the Performance Reviewer, with Rizwan Malik from HKCR appointed as the Citing Commissioner. Shahid Sangani from SLRU will once again take on the role of Judicial Officer.

For the crucial 3rd place playoff and final on May 4th, experienced officials will ensure the smooth running of the matches. While Referee Ishanka Abeykoon from SLRU and James Fairbourne from UAERF have been appointed, the final match announcement will only be made after the semi-finals to ensure Asia Rugby’s principle of using neutral match officials is adhered to.

Assistant Referees for the final day will include Raveen Alexander and Yatawara Dugganna from SLRU, and JP Clements and Seo lnsoo representing UAERF and KRU respectively. They will be assigned to the games only after the teams for the finals are confirmed, maintaining the neutrality of the officiating process.

The appointments for Performance Reviewer, Citing Commissioner, and Judicial Officer for the Final day Jason Broderick and Rizwan Malik from HKCR will oversee the performance review and citing, while Aruna Jayasekera from SLRU will serve as Judicial Officer.

Match officials have been carefully selected by Asia Rugby’s Selections and Appointments Panel and ratified by both the Asia Rugby Referees Committee and the Asia Rugby Chief Executive Officer.

Asia Rugby will cover all 4 matches live on its Facebook page and YouTube channel, with updates and highlights featured on its official Instagram page.