Rising sun shines for 'Mr Judo' in latest honour

ONE of the country's foremost judo experts has been honoured by the Emperor of Japan.

British Judo Association president George Kerr, 73, from Edinburgh, said he was "thrilled to bits" after learning he is to receive the Order of the Rising Sun, one of Japan's highest awards.

The honour - the Japanese equivalent of a CBE - is in recognition of Mr Kerr's contribution to the sport and to UK-Japanese relations.

It tops a "fairytale" year for the legend, nicknamed Mr Judo, who was recently given one of the sport's greatest and most exclusive honours.

Mr Kerr was awarded the 10th Dan in February, a title held by only five other people in the world.

He also netted other honours, including an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University.

Mr Kerr said of his latest award: "I'm thrilled to bits, it's quite an honour. I think I'm the first judo player in Great Britain to receive this sort of thing, so it's really nice.

"It's been a brilliant year. The whole thing's been like a fairytale."