Ismail Najeeb Russell was in Guwahati, India to run an international badminton tournament. He is considered one of the best badminton umpires in the country. He died in the line of duty. The 52-year-old umpire was also part of the Badminton World Federation panel.
Former national badminton champion and former general secretary of the federation Zobaidur Rahman Rana confirmed the death of Russell. He said, “An international series was going on in Guwahati, India. Russell went to officiate the match as he was an umpire on the World Badminton panel. He had a match today. When he was not coming to the court, the organizers went to the hotel. The door was broken when the room was not opened. Then they saw that Russell was no more. ’
Russell is a well-known face in badminton in Bangladesh. In addition to umpiring, he is also a member of the current executive committee of the federation. He studied badminton a lot.
Russell has officiated in major tournaments in South Korea, Japan and other countries around the world. Although the standard of badminton in Bangladesh was at the level of South Asia, he was world class. Former national champion Enayet Ullah Khan said, “Russell Bhai is a special asset not only for Bangladesh but also for Asia and world badminton. He has officiated many international matches. Such a great umpire but his behavior and movement is very simple and amiable. ’
Badminton people of Bangladesh think that Russell has gone to the other side due to stroke or heart attack. Many badminton players also said that he was not suffering from any special disease. Efforts are being made to bring his body to the federation.