WAF REFEREES

The refereeing licence, and who currently holds one

The licence

A refereeing licence is granted in five graded bands. Each band carries its own validity and its own limit on what may be officiated; a referee may not officiate above their band.

★

ELKİN

Referee Candidate

2 years

Preliminary rounds of national competitions, under the supervision of a TOLU referee or higher. Training and exhibition matches. Not authorised for finals, semi-finals or international matches.

★★

TOLU

National Referee

3 years

All rounds of national competitions, including finals. Regional and multi-national competitions within the assigned territory. Not authorised to direct a match at international WAF-sanctioned competitions; on the Chief Referee’s assignment, may serve there as a table referee or assistant referee.

★★★

BİLGE

Senior Referee

4 years

All national competitions including championship finals. International WAF-sanctioned competitions: preliminary rounds and semi-finals. Continental championship preliminary rounds. Not authorised to officiate at world championships.

★★★★

ATAMAN

International Referee

5 years

All WAF-sanctioned international competitions. Continental championship finals. World championship preliminary rounds and semi-finals. Supervision of TOLU and BİLGE referees at international events. Not authorised for world championship finals.

★★★★★

ULUCA

Elite Referee

6 years

World championship finals in all disciplines. Appointment as Chief Referee at WAF World Championships. Leadership and mentoring of the referee panel at all WAF events. Technical committee functions — review of referee standards and regulations.

Advancement

A band is not applied for. It is earned in competition and confirmed by examination, and every step is decided by the Examination Commission — except ULUCA, which additionally requires the endorsement of KUTSAN and a resolution of the Board of Directors.

ELKİN Referee Candidate

ELKİN is the entry to the ladder: a minimum age of eighteen, the YARĞAN (I-SAN) degree, the WAF ELKİN referee training course, 70% or above in the written examination on the Competition Regulations, a satisfactory practical assessment, and a signed undertaking to comply with WAF Regulations and the Disciplinary Code.

ELKİN → TOLU National Referee

YARĞAN (I-SAN) · 10 national competitions officiated under supervision as ELKİN · advancement examination at 75% · practical assessment: good · activity record verified by the national federation

TOLU → BİLGE Senior Referee

KÜR YARĞAN (II-SAN) · 30 national or regional competitions officiated and 15 international competitions attended as a table or assistant referee · advancement examination at 80% · practical assessment: very good · proficiency in three Alpagut disciplines

BİLGE → ATAMAN International Referee

TUN YARĞAN (III-SAN) · 20 international competitions and 5 world or continental championships officiated · advancement examination at 85% · practical assessment: excellent · proficiency in all five disciplines · one WAF International Referee Seminar

ATAMAN → ULUCA Elite Referee

TEGİN (IV-SAN) · 8 world or continental championships officiated as ATAMAN · advancement examination at 90% · practical assessment: outstanding · leadership of referee panels internationally · two seminars as presenter or assessor · three-stage approval

Licence and membership

A licence and a membership year are separate things. The licence runs for the term of its band — two years at ELKİN, six at ULUCA — and is renewed on application to the Examination Commission. The annual WAF credential fee of USD 20 maintains active standing for the year it covers. A referee whose annual credential has lapsed keeps the band they hold, but is not recorded as active and receives no appointments until it is renewed; an unpaid year does not cancel a licence.

Trainee officiating

ELKİN and TOLU carry no international authority, and BİLGE only the limited international authority described above. Where circumstances beyond the organiser’s control leave an international competition without enough licensed officials, such a referee may nevertheless officiate as a trainee referee or serve as an assistant referee — on the joint appointment of the Chairman of the Referees Collegium and the Chief Referee of that competition. The appointment covers one named competition, is recorded in its protocol together with the reason for it, and confers no star rating, no international authority and no entitlement to further appointments. Those competitions count towards advancement at the band actually held.

Official register 16 licensed referees

The Federation’s official register of licensed referees. Each entry carries the band, the licence number, the term and the current status, and each can be verified individually — no account is needed.

★★★★ATAMAN · International Referee1

ELSAVAR PURI

AZActive

WAF-REF-AZ-2026-001

19.05.2026 – 19.05.2031