How Olivier Desroses grew into one of Europe’s familiar faces on the referee mat

Some careers start with a carefully crafted plan. Olivier Desroses’ story starts with a dad’s decision in French Guiana: “Tomorrow, you start judo.” He was 12, answered “Yes, Dad,” and what looked like a simple order turned into a lifelong connection to the sport.

At 16, a new door opened. A regional sports director encouraged him to apply for a sport-study programme, even though he was juggling judo with basketball and volleyball and didn’t even know the programme existed. A few months later, in September 1991, he arrived in Orléans on mainland France. That move didn’t just change his training environment—it reshaped his entire pathway.

At university, Desroses went looking for “something new” and landed on refereeing, almost by instinct. He tried it at 18, enjoyed it, and kept building, even though he insists nothing was calculated. Progress followed: continental referee level came in 2011, and an international licence in 2015.

The turning point wasn’t a medal—it was an invitation.

He remembers his first IJF event in 2017 at the Paris Grand Slam as a huge achievement. But the moment that truly unlocked ambition arrived in 2018 with an invitation to the Budapest Grand Prix, paired with an IJF Academy session and a hint about preparing a group for Tokyo 2020. From there, the stakes felt real, and he committed to doing what it would take.

Desroses went on to be part of the referee delegations for two Paralympic cycles, including Tokyo 2020—held in a strange, spectator-free Covid atmosphere—and Paris 2024, where he felt the extra energy of a home Games. Alongside that, he has been a regular presence at major European milestones, refereeing at the Senior European Championships in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2025, as well as World Championships.

Even now, he admits nerves don’t vanish; they simply arrive later, often right until the first “Hajime!” His guiding points are clear: the rules, respect for athletes and the spirit of judo, and control of the contest. It’s a calm, European-style authority built over time—strict, fair, and deeply aware of what’s at stake on every mat.

Source: EJU_News