African Judo Referee Makes History As He Officiates in Europe

Gabon official Jean-Claude Djimbi made history after he officiated at the Junior European Judo Championships in Prague. He is the first official not from a European Judo Union (EJU) country to officiate at one of such events. Milestones such as this became possible since the induction of the EJU president, President László Toth, who made it clear that a priority of his is to broaden communication and engagement beyond the European continent.

To express gratitude, Djimbi who represented the African Judo Union said :

“I am very happy to be the first non-European to referee in the European Championships, It’s a new experience and the President opened the door for all the other non-European referees, with this we are writing history”

“It has been said that judo is different from other sports and once again the President of the EJU shows that we have different values from the others. I am very happy to be the chosen one to pave the way for future referees. This experience has been a double success for me and it’s a pleasure to work with the European referees. I hope that others can also have this experience and come to work here.”