TOBY STERLING, The Associated Press

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Anton Geesink, the Dutchman who helped make judo a universally popular sport, has died, the Netherlands' Olympic Committee said Saturday. He was 76.

Dutch state broadcaster NOS reported that Geesink, who won the first Olympic judo gold medal, died Friday of an unspecified illness after several weeks in a hospital in his hometown of Utrecht, Netherlands.

Geesink, a towering powerhouse, stunned Japan by becoming the first Westerner to win the world judo championship in 1961 in Paris, followed by his Olympic gold in 1964 in Tokyo. That victory changed the perception that judo was a Japanese sport.

The International Judo Federation said on its website that "a giant has just passed away."

"Everybody will remember the gigantic stature of this Dutch figure whose size was equivalent to his kindness," the statement said. "Anton Geesink never stopped fighting for the development of sport throughout the world."

Geesink won two world championship titles — the second came in Rio de Janeiro in 1965 — and a record 21 European championship titles.

In his prime, he stood 198 centimeters tall and weighed 120 kilograms (6 foot 6 inches and 265 pounds).

He had been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1987.

The IOC praised Geesink as a "great athlete" who "dedicated his entire career to the promotion of sport and its values."

The blue uniforms now worn by one competitor in international matches for ease of distinction by judges, referees and spectators arose from a suggestion made by Geesink at an IJF meeting in 1986.

He was the first European to become a 9th dan judoka in 1987, and was awarded the 10th degree in 1997 by the IJF.

"Today, Judo is a universal activity, thanks to the "way of education" that Jigoro Kano created at the end of the 19th century," the IJF statement said.

"But, for sure, it would not have been possible if, first of all, Anton Geesink had not been the great champion that he was and secondly, he had not become such a fantastic ambassador during and after his sports career."

Geesink is survived by his wife, Jans, and their three children.