George Kerr (judoist)
Encyclopedia
George Kerr CBE
(born 24 Aug 1937) is a Scottish
judo
expert.
In 1957, he won the gold medal in the European Judo Championships
in Rotterdam. In 2002 he was named one of the inaugural members of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
. In 2001 he became president of the British Judo Association
.
In 2010 he was awarded the grade 10th Dan
by the International Judo Federation (IJF)
for international services to judo. He is currently the only living IJF
jūdan
. He is the second Briton after Charles Palmer to have gained this rank in Judo.
He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours
.
He also received the Order of the Rising Sun
, Gold Rays with Rosette, in January 2011 after being named in Emperor Akihito's November 2010 honours list, due to his ongoing contribution to judo and to relations between the UK and judo's country of origin, Japan
. Masataka Tarahara, Japan’s Consul-General in Scotland, presented him in Edinburgh with Japan’s equivalent of a CBE.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 24 Aug 1937) is a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
expert.
In 1957, he won the gold medal in the European Judo Championships
European Judo Championships
European Judo Championships is the Judo European Championship organized by the European Judo Union.- List of tournaments :- External links :*...
in Rotterdam. In 2002 he was named one of the inaugural members of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is the national sports hall of fame in Scotland, initiated on St Andrew's Day 2001. It is a joint project organised by sportscotland, the national governmental body for Scottish sport, and the National Museums of Scotland. It is also funded by BBC Scotland and...
. In 2001 he became president of the British Judo Association
British Judo Association
The British Judo Association is the governing body for the Olympic Sport of Judo in the United Kingdom.The BJA represents the United Kingdom internationally and is a member of the International Judo Federation, the European Judo Union, the Judo Confederation of the European Union, the British...
.
In 2010 he was awarded the grade 10th Dan
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
by the International Judo Federation (IJF)
International Judo Federation
The International Judo Federation was founded in July 1951. The IJF was originally composed of judo federations from Europe plus Argentina. Countries from four continents were affiliated over the next ten years. Today the IJF has 200 National Federations on all continents...
for international services to judo. He is currently the only living IJF
International Judo Federation
The International Judo Federation was founded in July 1951. The IJF was originally composed of judo federations from Europe plus Argentina. Countries from four continents were affiliated over the next ten years. Today the IJF has 200 National Federations on all continents...
jūdan
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
. He is the second Briton after Charles Palmer to have gained this rank in Judo.
He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
.
He also received the Order of the Rising Sun
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
, Gold Rays with Rosette, in January 2011 after being named in Emperor Akihito's November 2010 honours list, due to his ongoing contribution to judo and to relations between the UK and judo's country of origin, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Masataka Tarahara, Japan’s Consul-General in Scotland, presented him in Edinburgh with Japan’s equivalent of a CBE.