Pierre de Coubertin Medal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pierre de Coubertin Medal |
|
|---|---|
| Presented by | International Olympic Committee (IOC) |
| First awarded | 1997 |
The Pierre de Coubertin Medal is a special award given by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It honors groups and people who help spread the spirit of Olympism. This means they promote the ideas of fair play, respect, and understanding through sports and education. The medal was designed by André Ricard Sala. One side shows a picture of Pierre de Coubertin, and the other has the Olympic motto and rings.
This medal is often confused with other awards. For example, it is not the same as the Pierre de Coubertin World Trophy. That trophy started in 1965 and is given by the International Fair Play Committee. Sometimes, news reports have mixed up these two awards. For instance, in 2016, some news outlets incorrectly said that athletes Nikki Hamblin and Abbey D'Agostino received this medal. They were honored for helping each other during a race. However, they actually received the International Fair Play Committee Award.
Another award that causes confusion is the "Pierre de Coubertin-Medaille" from the Austrian Olympic Committee. This Austrian medal has been given since 1969 for great achievements in the Olympic Movement. The first people to receive it in 1969 included Austrian President Franz Jonas and IOC President Avery Brundage.
Who Has Received the Medal?
The Pierre de Coubertin Medal is given to people and groups who truly live the Olympic spirit. They show dedication to education, research, and promoting the values of sportsmanship. Here are some of the notable recipients:
| Recipient | Country | Accomplishment(s) | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juan Antonio Samaranch |  Spain |
Seventh President of the International Olympic Committee | 6 September 1997 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Leon Štukelj |  Slovenia |
Olympic gymnast | 12 November 1999 | Maribor, Slovenia |
| Raymond Gafner |  Switzerland |
— | 1999 | — |
| Rainier III, Prince of Monaco |  Monaco |
Prince of Monaco | 2000 | — |
| João Havelange |  Brazil |
Sports leader | 2000 | — |
| Gianni Agnelli |  Italy |
Italian businessman | 2000 | — |
| Alain Danet |  France |
— | 2000 | — |
| Kurt Furgler | Switzerland |
Swiss politician | 2000 | — |
| Henry Kissinger |  United States |
American diplomat | 2000 | — |
| Yoshiaki Tsutsumi |  Japan |
Japanese businessman | 2000 | — |
| Emil Zátopek |  Czechoslovakia |
Olympic runner, won three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics | 6 December 2000 | Prague, Czech Republic |
| Kéba Mbaye |  Senegal |
— | 2001 | — |
| Rudolf Leising | Switzerland |
— | 2001 | — |
| Wolf Lyberg |  Sweden |
Sports journalist, for his many contributions to the Olympic movement | July 2001 (awarded) 22 November 2001 (presented) |
Moscow, Russia Stockholm, Sweden |
| Spencer Eccles | United States |
Helped with the 2002 Winter Olympics | February 2002 | Salt Lake City, United States |
| Frieder Roskam |  Germany |
German architect, for his work in building sports facilities | 30 April 2002 | Cologne, Germany |
| Artur Takac | Switzerland |
— | 2002 | — |
| Conrado Durantez | Spain |
— | 2002 | — |
| Hilda Múdra |  Slovakia |
Figure skating coach | 2002 | — |
| Cecilia Tait |  Peru |
First Peruvian recipient, for promoting women in sport | 21 March 2003 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Walburga Grimm | Germany |
— | 2003 | — |
| Marino Ercolani Casadei |  San Marino |
— | 2003 | — |
| Julio Ernesto Cassanello |  Argentina |
President of the Argentine Olympic Committee | 2003 | — |
| Vanderlei de Lima | Brazil |
For showing great fair play at the 2004 Summer Olympics | 29 August 2004 | Athens, Greece |
| Elena Belova |  Belarus |
Presented at a scientific congress | 17 May 2007 | Minsk, Belarus |
| Shaul Ladany |  Israel |
For amazing sports achievements over more than 40 years | 17 May 2007 | Minsk, Belarus |
| Viktor Khotochkin |  Russia |
First Vice-President of the Russian Olympic Committee | 2007 | — |
| Viktor Mamatov | Russia |
Olympic biathlete | 2008 | — |
| Manfred Bergman | Israel |
For his service to the Olympic cause | December 2008 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Ronald Harvey |  Australia |
Former CEO of the Australian Sports Commission | 2 April 2009 | Australia |
| Emanuel Bosák | Czech Republic |
— | May 2009 | Jičín, Czech Republic |
| Xia Geng |  China |
Former Mayor of Qingdao, for Qingdao's efforts in the Olympic Movement | 22 July 2009 | Qingdao, China |
| Boyan Radev |  Bulgaria |
Olympic wrestler | 15 September 2009 | — |
| Gagik Tsarukyan |  Armenia |
President of the Armenian Olympic Committee | 13 November 2010 | Yerevan, Armenia |
| Eric Monnin | France |
Expert in Olympic education | August 2012 (awarded) 6 August 2013 (presented) |
— |
| Bob Nadin |  Canada |
Veteran ice hockey referee | May 2013 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Richard Garneau | Canada |
French Canadian sports broadcaster | 6 February 2014 | Sochi, Russia |
| Hermann Andrecs |  Austria |
Co-founder of the Austrian Olympic Academy | 10 September 2014 | Vienna, Austria |
| Michael Hwang |  Singapore |
For outstanding service to the Olympic Movement | 13 October 2014 | Singapore |
| Geraint John |  United Kingdom |
First British recipient, for his work in Olympic design | 28 November 2014 | London, England |
| Petros Synadinos |  Greece |
Member of the Hellenic Olympic Committee | 2016 | Athens, Greece |
| Eduard von Falz-Fein |  Liechtenstein |
For long service to the Olympic Movement | 17 February 2017 | Vaduz, Liechtenstein |
| Lü Junjie | China |
First Zisha artist to be awarded, for spreading the Olympic spirit through his art | 15 January 2018 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Han Meilin | China |
Designer of the Fuwa, mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics | 24 April 2018 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Diego Pulido Aragón |  Guatemala |
Guatemalan banker and supporter of sports | 28 August 2018 | Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| Aldons Vrubļevskis |  Latvia |
Former President of the Latvian NOC | 28 November 2020 | Sigulda, Latvia |
| André Leclercq | France |
At the 70th anniversary of the French Pierre de Coubertin Committee | 5 November 2021 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Cui Jingzhe | China |
Chinese artist, for spreading the Olympic spirit through art | 11 January 2022 | Beijing, China |
| George Hirthler | United States |
Author of The Idealist about Pierre de Coubertin | 23 June 2022 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Rolf Lukaschewski | Germany |
German artist, for showing Coubertin's vision through his art | 23 June 2022 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Kim Min-jae |  South Korea |
Korean sports photographer, first Korean recipient | May 2018 (awarded) 19 October 2022 (presented) |
Seoul, South Korea |
| Michael Robert Payne | United Kingdom |
Author of the 2021 IOC book Toon In! | 1 December 2022 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Elguja Berishvili |  Georgia |
First Vice President of the Georgian National Olympic Committee | April 2023 (awarded) August 2024 (presented) |
Paris, France |
| Jean Durry | France |
Author of Coubertin autographe – Tome I (1889–1915) about Pierre de Coubertin | 23 June 2023 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Ed Hula | United States |
Editor and Founder of Around the Rings | 23 June 2023 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| David Miller | United Kingdom |
Journalist and Olympic historian, author of Igniting the Games: The Evolution of the Olympics and Thomas Bach's Legacy (2022) | November 2023 | London, England |
| Telmo Guerra |  Portugal |
Portuguese artist, first Portuguese recipient | 21 June 2024 | Lausanne, Switzerland |
See also
In Spanish: Medalla Pierre de Coubertin para niños
- Olympic Cup
- Olympic diploma
- Olympic Diploma of Merit
- Olympic Laurel
- Olympic medal
- Olympic Order
