William Millerson

William Millerson (10 January 1953 – 20 June 2020) was a Curaçaoan politician and Dutch karateka. He had an 8th Dan in karate, and was the winner of multiple European Karate Championships medals.[1] Between 1998 and 2014 he was first Vice-President of the World Karate Federation.[2] In 2011 Millerson was invested as a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau.[2][3]

William Millerson
Millerson in 2017
President of the Estates of Curaçao
In office
11 May 2017 – 3 June 2020
Preceded byAmerigo Thodé
Succeeded byAna-Maria Pauletta
Personal details
Born(1953-01-10)10 January 1953
Aruba
Died20 June 2020(2020-06-20) (aged 67)
Political partyParty for the Restructured Antilles
OccupationPolitician
Karateka
William Millerson
BornWilliam Walter Millerson
(1953-01-10)10 January 1953
Aruba
Died20 June 2020(2020-06-20) (aged 67)
StyleKarate
Teacher(s)Jack van Hellemond
Rank8th dan Wado Ryu karate
Medal record
Representing  Netherlands
Karate
European Championship
1973 ValenciaKumite +60 kg
1975 OstendKumite +60 kg
World Championship
1975 Long BeachKumite +60 kg

Early life and sports career

Millerson was born on 10 January 1953 in Aruba.[2][4] He was partially of Surinamese descent.[5] Millerson started to become interested in Wadō-ryū karate while studying in the Netherlands. He began to train under Jack van Hellemond who had been taught by sensei Ishikawa, the Japanese karate master. In 1973, he became the Dutch champion. Later that year, he won silver in the European Karate Championships.[4] He would win the European championship two times.[5] In 1975, Millerson won bronze in the 1975 World Championship.[5] In 1976, Millerson became champion of Latin America in Guatemala and champion of the Caribbean in Santo Domingo.[4]

In 1997,[5] Millerson became the President of the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee.[4] On 10 October 2010, the Netherlands Antilles dissolved, and Curaçao became a country within the Kingdom. On January 2011, the International Olympic Committee denied Curaçao permission to compete under their own flag,[6] because it was not a fully independent country. Millerson argued for a similar status as Hong Kong.[6] The IOC refused to reconsider their decision, because it would set a precedent, and England wanted to compete separately from the United Kingdom.[7] Since then athletes from the Antilles either have to compete stateless, for Aruba, who was recognized prior to the new rules, or for the Netherlands.[7][lower-alpha 1] Millerson described the situation as the biggest blunder of the International Olympic Committee.[10]

Millerson was one of the founders of the Caribbean Karate Federation and served as its chairman from 1998 to 2014. He was chairman of the Panamerican Karate Federation from 1993 to 2013.[5]

Political career

Millerson ran as a candidate for the Party for the Restructured Antilles in the 2017 Curaçao general election.[4] On 11 May 2017 he was elected President of the Estates of Curaçao.[11] All 19 members present voted for him.[12]

Millerson, suffering from cancer, resigned as President for health reasons on 3 June 2020,[13][14] and was replaced by Ana-Maria Pauletta. On 4 June 2020,[15] Millerson was hospitalized in the Netherlands. He told the Estates before leaving, "I'll be back,"[5] however he died on 20 June 2020, aged 67.[16]

Notes
  1. The country of the Netherlands is also a country within a Kingdom,[8] however it is allowed to compete separately, because it is a member of the United Nations, thus meeting the definition of a sovereign state according to the International Olympic Committee.[9]

References
  1. "Black Belt October 1975". October 1975. p. 82. Retrieved 1 January 2015 – via Internet Archive. 1976 European Karate Championships. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  2. "WILLIAM MILLERSON (Curaçao)" (PDF). World Karate Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2015.
  3. "William Millerson geridderd in de orde van Oranje Nassau" (in Dutch). Karate Bond Nederland. 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  4. "Kandidaat-Statenvoorzitter beroemd sporter". Antilliaans Dagblad (in Dutch). 7 May 2017. Archived from the original on 8 October 2017.
  5. "Karatewereld rouwt om overleden pionier Millerson". De Ware Tijd (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 23 June 2020.
  6. "IOC dims Olympic Flame of 61 year old Olympic Committee of the Netherlands Antilles". Prweb (Press release). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  7. "Olympische droom niet voor Curacao". Nederlandse Omroep Stichting via Knipselkrant Curaçao (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  8. "Waaruit bestaat het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden?". Government of the Netherlands (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  9. "Updating the Foreign Affairs Committee on developments on IOC recognition of Overseas Territories". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  10. "Podcase - Gesprek met William Millerson over Curacaos mislukt Olympisch avontuur". Curacao.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  11. "William Millerson is nieuwe Statenvoorzitter" (in Dutch). Curaçao nieuws. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  12. "Millerson Statenvoorzitter" (in Dutch). Knipselkrant Curaçao. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  13. "Emotioneel afscheid in Staten" (in Dutch). Antilliaans Dagblad. 3 June 2020. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020.
  14. "Oud-voorzitter parlement Curaçao overleden" (in Dutch). Reformatorisch Dagblad. 20 June 2020. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020.
  15. "Pauletta wordt nieuwe statenvoorzitter". Curacao.nu. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  16. "Voormalig Statenvoorzitter Millerson overleden". Paradise FM. 20 June 2020. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020.
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