World and Olympic Champion Swimmer Dániel Gyurta received the International Fair Play Award

World and Olympic Champion Swimmer Dániel Gyurta has been presented with the International Fair Play Award at the UNESCO Palace in Paris on Wednesday.

The International Fair Play Committee nominated Gyurta for the Fair Play Award after the Olympic champion swimmer announced that he would give a copy of his London Olympic gold medal to the family of Norwegian swimmer Alexander Dale Oen who died tragically in 2012. Gyurta thought that if his late friend hadn’t died he would have won the Olympic gold medal in London.

Soon after the Olympics, Gyurta went to Oslo and handed over a copy of his gold medal to Alexander Dale Oen’s brother.

This award means a lot to me, because it carries a message that sporting events can be looked at as friendly competitions where the goal is not to annihilate the other but to compete honorably; this way athletes can contribute to a better world said Gyurta.

The ceremony was highlighted by the fact that the organization is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Alexander Dale Oen

Source: hungarianambiance.com, Photo: jochapress.hu