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Nottingham’s renowned
judo referee Peter Crumpton has been selected to officiate at
the Junior Europeans in Sofia, Bulgaria from 17 to 19 September.
The EJU Commission now select the referees
to ensure the highest standard.
A distinguished 5th
Dan, Crumpton, 51, has been one of the sport’s most active and
respected figures during his 39-year association with the Olympic
sport.
Crumpton, whose latest
engagement was the Midland Area’s Heart of England event on Sunday,
took up the sport in 1971 at the Nottingham YMCA and at the tender
age of 17 took over the reins of the club while still competing
as a player.
The Nottingham referee
ran the club for 19 and a half years and shared coaching duties
before sealing a new career on the mat when he received the A
refereeing award in 1991
Crumpton received his
continental licence in Birmingham in 1997 and international A
licence in Prague in 2008, the latter enabling him to officiate
at global events. The British official has taken charge at the
Junior European Champions on two previous occasions, the U23 European
Championships three times and has one Senior European Championships
to his name. He has also officiated at the World Student Games.
“Refereeing is a whole
new sphere from playing,” he said.
“Learning the technicalities
of the rules from a referee’s perspective takes more than just
a coaches interpretation and it helped my coaching as I was able
to teach the finer points and not just the basics.”
Crumpton will fly out
to Bulgaria on Wednesday week with the nine-strong British team
but will be refraining from interacting with his compatriots at
the high-profile event.
“When on international
duty we have to show that we’re completely impartial and while
we can associate with the team we can’t show any support towards
them.”
The well-travelled Brit
eventually joined Ryecroft Judo Club as a player. As one of the
Midlands’ leading judo outfits the club has an enviable roster
of coaches and judo figures such as Crumpton who have presided
over the blossoming talents of the club’s many young prospects
such as 14-year-old starlet Sam Hall who competed at the European
Cadets Championships in June.
“I’m still a member there,
I don’t train now but keep regular contact and pop up to keep
a keen eye on the emerging players and catch up with my
long-time colleagues.”
Ryecroft Judokwai train
at Beeston Community Centre, Nottingham, NG9 1GL. Men and women
train on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 20:30 – 22:00. Boys and
girls train on the same days at 19:00 – 20:30.
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