Fans invited to vote for their favourite Fair Play moment on social media
Following the conclusion of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, five moments have been shortlisted for the International Fair Play award.
Members of the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) and World Athletics formed a jury to decide on the shortlist of moments. This week fans can retweet or like to vote for the shortlisted moment that they feel best exemplifies fair play. These votes will be combined with the votes from the jury to determine three finalists for the Fair Play Award. The winner will be revealed at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco later this year.
Shortlist
1. Katie Nageotte and Holly Bradshaw
Holly Bradshaw injured herself after her pole snapped during the pole vault warm-up session and fellow competitor Katie Nageotte ran over to immediately support her.
Knowing she would no longer be able to contend for a place in the final, Bradshaw withdrew from the competition, thus allowing another athlete to advance. Bradshaw received a lot of abuse on social media for withdrawing, but Nageotte again offered support by taking to Twitter in defence of her competitor.
2. Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Andriy Protsenko
Ukrainian high jumpers Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Anriy Protsenko showed incredible strength and resilience, managing to win silver and bronze medals respectively, despite the huge challenges they are facing due to the current situation in Ukraine.
3. Noah Lyles
Noah Lyles kindly responded to a young fan’s rock/paper/scissors challenge and ‘lost’ his spikes to him.
4. Andrew Pozzi
Sprint hurdler Andrew Pozzi found fellow competitor Petr Svoboda injured at the end of their race. Pozzi bent over, asked Svoboda if he was okay and helped him get upright. He then assisted him to walk and beckoned someone over to help.
5. Katarina Johnson-Thompson
Taking on a mentoring role within the heptathlon field, Katarina Johnson-Thompson showed her support to a devastated Sophie Weissenberg after the German athlete recorded three fouls in the long jump. Johnson-Thompson, having had a similar experience at the 2015 World Championships, would have known exactly how Weissenberg was feeling in that moment. She also was heard encouraging her Polish competitor Adrianna Sulek, telling her that she would become a superstar of the sport.
Head to the respective posts on Twitter and Instagram to vote for your favourite moment.
The CIFP was established more than 50 years ago to promote the principles of fair play in sport: fair competition, respect, friendship, team spirit, equality and sport without doping. It honours those who respect the written and unwritten rules of sport, which include integrity, solidarity, tolerance, care, excellence and joy, and who set an example for others, on and off the field. At the World Championships alone, nine awards have been handed out since 2003. Braima Dabo of Guinea Bissau was the latest recipient of the award at a World Championships. In the heats of the 5000m in Doha in 2019, fellow competitor Jonathan Busby of Aruba was struggling in the closing stages, but Dabo sacrificed his own race to support and help Busby across the finish line.
Jury members
Sunil Sabharwal (USA) Secretary General, CIFP
Kory Tarpenning (MON) Board Member, CIFP
Jon Ridgeon (GBR) World Athletics CEO
Ximena Restrepo (COL) World Athletics Vice President
Naoko Takahashi (JPN) 2000 Olympic marathon champion
Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) three-time Olympic gold medallist
Valerie Adams (NZL) World Athletics Athletes’ Commission
Patrick Sang (KEN) two-time world steeplechase silver medallist and leading coach
