CJ President receives OBE in Queen's Birthday Honours

Post date: Oct 14, 2020 10:44:45 AM

Commonwealth Judo President Richard Kenney has become an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in recognition of his services to judo.

Scot Kenney, 68, said that he was delighted to receive an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

“I’ve been involved in judo now for 57 years and have loved everything about our sport since the time I stepped onto the mat at the Motherwell YMCA judo club in 1963,” a jubilant Kenney exclusively told Commonwealth Judo.

“I continue to be amazed by the number of friends, judoka, coaches and volunteers worldwide who make judo such a great sport and vehicle to allow people to be all that they can be. I will continue to work for the benefit of judo across the Commonwealth.”

Kenney, who helped push the sport forward towards a record-breaking level of entries at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, has held a range of roles in the sport in his native Scotland, across Britain and the Commonwealth.

The 7th Dan was the British Judo team manager at World and European Championships in the early 1980s and served as the Vice Chair of the British Judo Association from 1997 to 2004.

He has been a member of the National Governing body for judo in Scotland since 1963 and was one of the founding members of Commonwealth Judo for whom he has held the role of President since 2013.

Kenney has shown his industry and vision for the sport by promoting the sport across the Commonwealth with the Commonwealth Championships and judo’s inclusion as a core sport at the Commonwealth Games being central to his success.  

The next edition of the annual Commonwealth Championships is tentatively scheduled to be held in Malta in September 2021. Stay tuned to the CJ platforms for the latest on Commonwealth events and information.