Pierre de Coubertin medal

The Pierre de Coubertin medal (also known as the De Coubertin medal or the True Spirit of Sportsmanship medal) is a special decoration awarded by the International Olympic Committee to those athletes and former athletes who exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship in Olympic events or through exceptional service to the Olympic movement.[1][2]

The medal was inaugurated in 1964 and named in honour of Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee. According to the Olympic Museum, "It is one of the noblest honours that can be bestowed upon an Olympic athlete."[3]

Recipients

Athlete Country Event Date Place
Luz Long  Germany 1936 Summer Olympics 1964 (Awarded posthumously) Berlin, Germany
Emil Zátopek  Czechoslovakia 1952 Summer Olympics December 6, 2000 (Awarded posthumously) Helsinki, Finland
Eugenio Monti  Italy 1964 Winter Olympics 1964 Innsbruck, Austria
Karl Heinz Klee  Austria 1976 Winter Olympics February 1977 Innsbruck, Austria
Franz Jonas[4]  Austria – July 1969 –
Lawrence Lemieux  Canada 1988 Summer Olympics September 1988 Seoul, South Korea
Raymond Gafner   Switzerland – 1999 –
Spencer Eccles  United States 2002 Winter Olympics February 2002 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Tana Umaga  New Zealand 2003 Rugby Test Match June 2003 Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima  Brazil 2004 Summer Olympics August 29, 2004 Athens, Greece
Elena Novikova-Belova  Belarus 2007 XI International Scientific Congress May 17, 2007 Minsk, Belarus
Shaul Ladany  Israel unusual outstanding sports achievements during a span covering over four decades[5] May 17, 2007 Minsk, Belarus
Petar Cupać  Croatia 2008 Summer Olympics November 18, 2008 Beijing, China
Ivan Bulaja  Croatia 2008 Summer Olympics November 18, 2008 Beijing, China
Pavle Kostov  Croatia 2008 Summer Olympics November 18, 2008 Beijing, China
Ronald Harvey  Australia 2009
Richard Garneau  Canada 2014 Winter Olympics February 6 2014 (Awarded posthumously) Sochi, Russia
Sydney Michael Hwang [6]  Singapore 2014 Asian Games October 14, 2014 Incheon, Republic of Korea

Quotations

“Nash didn't win because I gave him the bolt. He won because he had the fastest run.”
—Eugenio Monti when interviewed after giving a bolt from his own bobsled to his competitors, the British bobsled team, at the 1964 Winter Olympics. Monti was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal for his sportsmanship.
“It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of Hitler... You can melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn't be a plating on the twenty-four karat friendship that I felt for Lutz Long at that moment."
—Jesse Owens after being advised by his competitor, Lutz Long, at the 1936 Summer Olympics. Long was posthumously awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal for his sportsmanship.[7]
"I can't accept Emanuel's medal. I'm happy with mine, it's bronze but means gold."
—Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, in September 1, 2004, after Brazilian beach volleyball player Emanuel Rego, who won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games, gave his gold medal to him on a television program. Deeply touched, Vanderlei returned it.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ BBC article on Olympic Spirit
  2. ↑ Allerman Blogspot
  3. ↑ International Olympic Committee – The Olympic Museum Lausanne
  4. ↑ Newsletter No. 22, Comité international olympique, Château de Vidy 1007 Lausanne, p. 402
  5. ↑ "Sports Shorts – Israel News". Haaretz. September 12, 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  6. ↑ http://www.olympic.org/news/olympic-highlights/240475
  7. ↑ Schwartz, Larry (2007). "ESPN.com: Owens pierced a myth". Retrieved August 14, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Emanuel surpreende e oferece sua medalha de ouro para Vanderlei Cordeiro" [Emanuel surprises and offers his gold medal to Vanderlei Cordeiro] (in Portuguese). Folha Online. September 1, 2004. Retrieved August 8, 2012.