Jan Snijders awarded with international Anton Geesink Award

Former IJF Head of Refereeing Jan Snijders was awarded the Anton Geesink award by the Dutch Judo Association. Anton Geesink was the first non-Asian who became world and Olympic judo champion in the heavyweight category. During the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964 he defeated the Japanese Akio Kaminaga. Jan Snijders is from the generation of Geesink and said farewell as IJF Referee director this year.

Recently Snijders was invited at the IJF Junior World Championships in Olbia to see his successors and to discuss questions with coaches and delegates about various the referee situations including the Olympic Games.

In January 2020 Snijders was awarded the ninth Dan by the International Judo Federation. The 78-year old is with Chris de Korte the highest holder of Dan Grades and an international authority in the field of judo refereeing. He started judo in 1954 and in 1961 won gold at the European Junior Championships. In 1962, he was European Champion in Essen and in 1964 he participated in the first Olympics in Tokyo. During the years 1962 to 1972, he was a member of the Dutch national team. He was a referee at seven world championships and at several Olympic Games (Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992).

Former winners of the Anton Geesink Award are former IOC President Jacques Rogge who passed away this year but also international top judoka Teddy Riner. At Dutch Judo Day at Papendal Trainingcentre Snijders was awarded with this special prize. Snijders is still well aware of the international situation where judo wasn’t delivering the level of judo and refereeing during the Olympic Games. The highlight in 4 years time was in fact spoiled by many long matches, inconsequent refereeing and Snijders agreed that referees had trouble to find a consequent high level at any match. “This was the highest level, but not for every referee at all days at all matches, it was inconsequent behaviour and too much discussion about penalties that should have given much faster and consequent. We have seen matches of 12 minutes in golden score which cannot be the case if referees strictly keep the same level of judging and penalizing on the rules. The rules are clear for everybody such as stepping out of the mat of the time that athletes have for an attack, but they were not followed up all the time which causes inconsequent decisions.”

Snijders continued on his Geesink Award: I am extremely honoured to receiving this award at the age of 78. The Netherlands have always been a country where refereeing is very high, not only in judo. We have set new standards together with my Spanish colleague Juan Carlos Barcos over the years. I have been Olympic referee myself for a long time, but it is time for a new generation to continue the rules. I am grateful for IJF President Marius Vizer who is always on top of every situation and he invited both me and Juan Carlos to Italy this month to discuss delicate situations that occurred over the last months in the field of refereeing and I was happy to answer many questions and still be involved. Such award with great names that have received this honour in the past is an outstanding occasion and a privilege to be part of this impressive list of people.”

previous winners of the award are Jacques Rogge (2012), Erica Terpstra (2014), Louis van Gaal (2015), Teddy Riner (2017) and Yasuhiro Yamashita (2019).