Pensioner George Kerr receives highest judo honour, a 10th Dan
Last updated 08/02/2010 14:03:19
George Kerr pensioner receives highest judo honour 10th Dan
A pensioner has been awarded judo's highest rank – one of only seven living people in the world to hold the honour.
British Judo Association President, George Kerr, 72, was named a ‘10th Dan' – making him only the the fifth non-Japanese judoka ever to receive the honour.
George was presented with the honour by the International Judo Federation in front of 14,000 judo fans at the Bercy Stadium in Paris, which was staging the prestigious Paris Grand Slam.
"I am completely humbled to receive my 10th Dan and slightly over whelmed by the whole thing," George explained."The moral code in judo is underpinned by honour and to have your peers and the sport honouring me with this is an amazing experience and is hard to get my head around. In the next 20 or 30 years they may only be another one or two others so I feel incredibly proud."
George, who ran The Edinburgh Club for 40 years, still takes time to teach youngsters coming into the sport at his centre, Junior Judo in Edinburgh. "As throughout my career, I continue to teach the traditional Japanese judo values of honour, discipline, politeness", he said recently.
It is the Scot's second honour in as many months. In January he was recognised by the Japanese Government for promoting understanding and friendship between Japan and the UK. George is only the second British person ever to receive a judo 10th Dan, the first being Charles Palmer OBE who died in 2001.
The 10th Dan awarded to Kerr has recognised an illustrious judo career which has seen him reach the highest level as a coach, player, referee and administrator.As a player he won the 1957 European Championships in Rotterdam before finishing runner up three times and with the bronze medal twice. He was a two-time winner of the British Open Championship both in 1966 and 1968.
Following his retirement as a judoka, George built his reputation as a World Class coach. As National Coach to Austrian team he coached Peter Seisenbracher to win Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 1988 - the only Brit to ever coach an Olympic gold medallist.
As a referee he is the only British person to have ever refereed an Olympic final, something he did twice in Munich and Montreal.
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