(2016 ☆ ARCHIVED) Chris Barker - Great Britain

CHRIS 'CURLY' BARKER (Great Britain) – Nominee for the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ Award.

Chris ‘Curly’ Barker's involvement in Canoe Polo locally, nationally and internationally as an athlete, volunteer and referee over the past three decades has been immense. As a member of the Meridian Canoe Club, he has held a variety of roles on the club committee, been a top canoe polo player and has become one of the worlds most respected referees.

Chris started playing polo at the age of eighteen with Reading University, where he stayed for four years. In his sporting career he became an English National League Champion and won many International Tournaments in England, Wales, Netherlands, France, Portugal, Spain, Austria and Hungary with his club. Playing as a reserve, he and his team placed second in the European Championships in 2001.

‘Curly’ was also the Great Britain Women’s coach for two years. Under his guidance in 1996 they became the first Canoe Polo Team to win the World Championship in Australia, against Australia. The completely new styles of play and technique he taught helped shape that team, leading to a gold medal winning performance.

But it is Curly’s genuine interest in the way the rules and their interpretation affect the dynamics of the game that has seen him make a profound impact on Canoe Polo. As International Canoe Federation referee he has overseen the Men's World Cup finals in 1994, 1996, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and in 2012. He has also been a referee in all of the European Championships held up to date as well as all of the World Games since its creation.

At the 2013 European Canoe Polo championships announced his retirement from international refereeing, which was a big loss to the sport. However his reputation as one of the top, if not the top, referees resulted in him being invited to Chinese Taipei to conduct referee training and assessments. He advice and knowledge is still sought after all over the world.

This is a 2016 archived nominee. Voting has closed.