Rising Officials: Star Richens and Aarya Advilkar Become International Umpires
New Zealand officiating continues to grow, with two young umpires reaching an exciting milestone.
Star Richens and Aarya Advilkar have both achieved International Umpire status, marking a big step forward in their officiating journey and reflecting the progress being made in this space.
Their achievement highlights the pathway available through the ITTF Young Umpires Programme. This programme supports young officials by giving them valuable experience, training, and exposure at the highest level.
In 2025, TTNZ supported Star Richens and Aarya Advilkar to apply for the the ITTF Young Umpires Programme ahead of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
After a competitive selection process, both were accepted into Stage 1 of the ITTF Young Umpires Programme, placing them among the top 60 umpires under 30 in the world.
Star Richens
As part of the the ITTF Young Umpires Programme, they took part in online classes, built their understanding of the rules, and completed a range of tasks to test their officiating knowledge.
Star stood out with his strong exam results, scoring 47 out of 50 in the programme exam and 100 per cent in the recent International Umpire exam. He has now been selected for Stage 2 of the ITTF Young Umpires Programme, where he will receive further training and support.
Star shared his experience:
“I was really happy when I was selected for the ITTF Young Umpires Programme. It meant I was recognised as one of the top young umpires in the world, and it gave me the chance to connect with some of the best officials.
The classes and assignments were very helpful and informative, although at times it was challenging to balance them with my university work.
The first exam was very difficult, with questions from some of the hardest table tennis exams, but I studied hard and achieved 94 per cent. I then completed the International Umpire exam and was very pleased to score 100 per cent.
I have now been selected for the next stage of the programme, which includes more advanced training and workshops, and the chance to work with top umpires at an ITTF event.
If I continue to do well, I may have the opportunity to officiate at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar later this year, which would be an amazing experience.
I am very thankful to TTNZ for the support throughout this journey. The support has helped make this opportunity possible.
Overall, it has been a great experience meeting other young umpires and learning from some of the best officials in the world.”
Aarya Advilkar
Aarya also achieved her International Umpire qualification, which is a great result and an important step in her officiating journey.
She shared one of the more challenging questions from the programme:
“Whose point is it if player A serves, the ball hits the net, lands on their side, hits the net again, then goes to player B’s side and player B misses? The answer is player B’s point, as the serve is not legal.”
This example shows the level of detail umpires must understand and how quickly they need to make decisions during matches.
TTNZ is proud of Star and Aarya for their achievement. Their dedication and commitment to officiating are great to see, and they are setting an example for the next generation of officials in New Zealand.