Fiji’s Ana-Marie Draunidalo Makes History as First Pacific Islander to Earn White Badge Referee Qualification!

At just 21 years old, Ana-Marie Draunidalo has made history as the first Pacific Islander to earn the internationally recognized World Tennis White Badge Referee qualification, marking a significant milestone for tennis officiating in the Oceania region.

Ana-Marie’s achievement is the result of more than two years of dedication, hard work, mentoring, and practical experience across the Pacific.

Identified as a promising young official by Isabelle Gemmel of Tennis Australia, Ana-Marie was supported through the Women and Girls in Tennis programme, an initiative supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) PacificAus Sports. With additional funding and support from Tennis Australia, she was provided with valuable mentoring, training and opportunities to develop her officiating skills.

Over the past two years, Ana-Marie has gained practical experience through officiating appointments at tennis tournaments in Fiji, Solomon Islands, American Samoa and New Zealand. These opportunities played an important role in building her knowledge, confidence and ability to officiate at an international level.

Alongside her on-court experience, Ana-Marie demonstrated strong academic ability and a commitment to mastering the rules and regulations of tennis. Her preparation enabled her to successfully pass the pre-qualification examination and secure a place at the White Badge Officiating School in China.

At 21, Ana-Marie was among the youngest participants in a group whose average age was approximately 10 years above her own. Despite the difference in age and experience, she successfully completed the programme and earned her White Badge Referee qualification.

This achievement places Ana-Marie among a select group of internationally certified tennis officials and represents an important step forward for the development of tennis officiating in the Pacific.

Beyond her personal success, Ana-Marie’s journey highlights the importance of investing in young Pacific talent and providing opportunities for women and girls to pursue leadership and technical roles in sport.

Her achievement is also a reflection of what can be accomplished through determination, access to quality mentoring and continued support from regional sporting organizations.

For Ana-Marie, her approach to overcoming challenges is simple:

“It’s hard, but not impossible. So, I just get it done.”

It is a motto she applies to her everyday life and one she often shares with her brothers to encourage them to persevere when faced with challenges.

Ana-Marie’s achievement sets a new benchmark for tennis officiating in the Pacific and provides inspiration for other young people, particularly women and girls, to pursue opportunities in the sport.

Her journey demonstrates that with commitment, perseverance and the right support, Pacific Islanders can continue to break barriers and achieve success on the international stage.