Eichi Karl Koiwai, M.D. (February 21, 1920 – February 23, 2009) was the president of the

United States Judo Federation The United States Judo Federation is a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting judo in the United States. Its national office is in Ontario, Oregon. History The United States Judo Federation (USJF) was originally known as the Amateur Judo ...

(USJF) in 1973 and 1974 and the chairman of the

United States Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for the United States. It was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado ...

in 1973.

Education

Koiwai earned his medical degree from Hanhehamm Medical College, specializing in pathology, in 1947.

Judo leadership

Koiwai was the chairman of the

in 1973 and the chairman of the National AAU Judo Committee prior to that. His work contributed to deeper collaboration between the AAU and the USJF. In 1960, he wrote the Official AAU - JBBF Judo Handbook. In 1965, he became the head of the National AAU Judo Committee, replacing Philip S. Porter (who was later a USJA founder). Koiwai commissioned a study on injuries in judo. In 1970, he was listed in ''Black Belt'' magazine's hall of fame. He was a referee at the

1976 Montreal Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal w ...

. For a period, Koiwai was a critic of the

United States Judo Association The United States Judo Association is a sports association in the United States. It was formed in 1969 following a reorganization of the Armed Forces Judo Association, and is one of three national judo associations in the United States, the othe ...

, which he felt did not follow the rules of the federation. Koiwai died on February 23, 2009. Services were held in Pennsylvania. He was a close friend of judo pioneer

Yosh Uchida Yoshihiro Uchida (April 1, 1920 – June 27, 2024) was an American judo coach, businessman, and educator who was best known for his contributions to judo. Uchida had been the head judo coach at San Jose State University for over 70 years, and ha ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koiwai, Eichi Karl 1920 births 2009 deaths American male judoka 20th-century American sportsmen