MEIJER Benno – NED (PVE)

Benno began his involvement with sitting volleyball when Paul Harmsen, team manager of the Dutch Women’s sitting team, nominated him for the World ParaVolley International Referee course in Malaysia in 2004. Among others he has stated that those who helped with his development as a referee include Viktor Feldshteyn, Janko Plesnik, Senad Helac and Gerard Brouwers.

As an International Referee Benno Meijer has been appointed to the following events:

2004 – Leipzig, Germany – Eurocup Men
2005 – Leverkusen, Germany – European Championships M/W
2006 – Roermond, Netherlands – World Championships M/W
2007 – Cairo, Egypt – Afro-Arab Games M
2008 – Ismalia, Egypt – Intercontinental Cup M/W
2008 – Nyiregyhaza, Hungary – Eurocup M
2009 – Elblag, Poland – European Championships M/W
2010 – Oklahoma, USA – World Championships M/W
2011 – Elblag, Poland – Eurocup M
2011 – Rotterdam, Netherlands – European Championships M/W
2012 – Cairo, Egypt – Intercontinental Cup M/W
2012 – London, Great Brittan – Paralympic Games M/W
2013 – Elblag, Poland – European Championships M/W
2014 – Elblag, Poland – World Championships M/W
2015 – Warendorf, Germany – European Championships M
2016 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Paralympic Games M/W
2017 – Porec, Croatia – European Championships M/W
2018 – Venlo-Eindhoven-The Hague, The Netherlands – World Championships M/W
2019 – Budapest, Hungary – European Championships M/W
2021 – Tokyo (2020), Japan – Paralympic Games M/W
2021 – Kemer, Turkey – European Championships M/W
2022 – Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina – Golden Nations League M
2022 – Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina – Silver Nations League W
2022 – Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina – World Championships M/W

Additional involvement has included:

2004-2013: Member of the Organising Committee of the (inter)national tournament in Leersum
2010 – present: Responsibility for the nominations of referees in (inter)national tournaments in The Netherlands

Awards received:

2012 National: Sitting Volleyball Referee of the Year
2017 National: Certificate of Honour – International referee
2017 National: Silver pin for 25 years of whistling
2022 National: Sitting Volleyball Referee of the Year

Posts held:

2010 – present: Nevobo Member Rules of the Games commission
2015 – present: World ParaVolley Treasurer
2015 – present: ParaVolley Europe Treasurer
2022 – present: Member of Nevobo International Affairs Task Force

Supporting Benno Meijer’s nomination, President Barry Couzner wrote:

I have known of Benno Meijer since he began his international refereeing career and I have come to know him more personally since around 2015.  Benno has an outstanding record as an active international sitting volleyball referee for World ParaVolley, having officiated in 5 World Championships, several Intercontinentals and 3 Paralympic Games.  In addition, he has consistently volunteered his time as a Referee at the Zone level for over 18 years.  The other significant contribution by Benno has been his honorary Treasurer duties for both ParaVolley Europe and World ParaVolley.  I particularly wish to mention his World ParaVolley responsibilities as Treasurer where he has worked with the General Manager to capably manage the bank account services from 2015 to the present – an extremely important task.

I believe that Benno Meijer has made a considerable positive contribution to ParaVolley over the years in the main two roles of International Referee and Treasurer – a unique combination of volunteerism that has served the organisation well and deserves recognition by World ParaVolley.