Charles Palmer (judoka)

At age 18, Palmer was called up for National Service where served with the Royal Military Police teaching judo. While serving in the military, he was given special leave to compete for the United Kingdom in his first International tournament in the Netherlands. On completion of his National Service he gained his 2nd dan at the Budokwai.

In the 1990s his health began to fail, but he continued to attend and preside over BJA Annual General Meetings. He was taken to hospital on 16 August 2001 where he died the next day at the age of 71.

He received an honorary 10th dan in 1997 from the IJF, becoming one of the few living jūdan.

In 1983 Charles Palmer was successful in an election for the post of Chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA). During his period of office had to contend with much political wrangling; he had been influential in the decision of the BOA to send a team to attend the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, in opposition to the opinion of the then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher (which he felt had cost him the possibility of a knighthood).

He persuaded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to give Judo regular place on the Games program from 1972. In 1973 Palmer was presented with the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to international judo. In 1975 he became a founding member of the General Assembly of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and for the next twelve years was General Secretary of that organisation.

At the 1965 International Judo Federation (IJF) Congress held in Rio de Janeiro Palmer was elected president succeeding Risei Kano the grandson of the founder of judo, Kano Jigoro. He was the first non-Japanese to be the President of the IJF.

Palmer then retired from major competition and concentrated on Judo and sports administration. In 1961 Palmer became Chairman of the British Judo Association, a post he held for the next twenty-four years. During this time, Palmer was also elected President of the British Judo Association (BJA).

On his return from Japan, Charles Palmer and fellow 4th dan, Geof Gleeson, joined Gunji Koizumi and Trevor Leggett as Senior Instructor at the Budokwai. He won a place in the British judo team in the 1957 European Championships. With Gleeson as captain in 1955 - 1958, this team won the championship for three years in succession.

In 1951 Palmer went to Japan to further his judo studies. With a job as security guard at the British Embassy in Tokyo he was able to further his judo studies as a special student (kenshusei) at the Kodokan Judo Institute where he was awarded 3rd dan in 1953 and 4th dan in 1955.

Charles Palmer first took an interest in judo at the age of 14 while attending Drayton Manor High School. He joined Ealing Judo Club by claiming that he was 16 years old. In 1948, under the teachings of Gunji Koizumi and Trevor Leggett of the Budokwai, he was awarded the grade of 1st dan black belt.

Charles Stuart William Palmer (born in Ealing, West London; 15 April 1930–17 August 2001), OBE was a British martial artist. Palmer was a judo instructor, President of the Budokwai, President of the British Judo Association (1961–1985), President of the International Judo Federation (1965–1979) and Chairman of the British Olympic Association (1983–1988). Palmer was a judoka who attained the sport's highest rank of 10th dan black belt.