Bril, Ben

A 12-time Dutch boxing champion, Bril competed as a flyweight at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. A Holocaust survivor, Bril later became a prominent boxing referee.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. 1912 - d. September 12, 2003

Career Highlights:
A 12-time Dutch boxing champion, Bril refused to compete at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, hosted by Hitler and the Nazi regime. An outstanding athlete who played goalkeeper for the Jewish Sports Club of Utrecht's soccer club, Bril boxed with the Star of David on his shots. He survived the Bergen Belsen concentration camp during the Holocaust. Following World War II, Bril became a referee and officiated many Olympic bouts.

Rinus Schulaen, a friend and referee trained by Bril, told the Associated Press (quoted by the Jerusalem Post), "He was not an easy boss, but in his craft as a referee, he was sublime...people who saw him fight said he used to step into the ring with his combed neatly to one side, and that he always came out the same way - untouched. For him, technique always came first."

Origin:
Netherlands

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