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
Michael Hwang [6]	Singapore	2014 Asian Games	October 14, 2014	Incheon, South 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

• Olympic Cup
• Olympic Order

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.