5. Ευ αγωνίζεσθαι.
Value: Share – Fair Play
4th High School of Alimos - Greece
FairPlay
Athletes who helped their fellow athletes
Subtitle
Luz Long
At the Berlin Olympics (1936), in the long jump final, legendary American athlete Jesse Owens had fouled his first two attempts. The German Luz Long, who was fighting for gold, advised Owens to re-mark his run-up to have more margin for error. The adjustment enabled Owens to qualify and eventually win the gold medal. In a story that defied the politics of the time, the two men remained friends until Long died during World War II.
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Mohamed Ali Rashwan
At Los Angeles 1984 Japan’s Yasuhiro Yamashita was favourite to win +95 kg judo gold. However, in only his second match, the athlete tore a muscle in his right calf. Despite the pain, the Japanese athlete managed to reach the final where he faced Egyptian Mohamed Ali Rashwan. Incredibly, the Japanese champion won the final, but it was only later that the full story of the final bout was revealed. Rashwan explained that he had deliberately not attacked his opponent’s injured leg because doing so would have been against his principles.
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Christiana Pavlou
Member of the Cyprus Canoe Federation and the Limassol Nautical Club, Christiana Pavlou was placed first in the national ranking in her category of the 15-year-olds. On 25 September, at the Cyprus Canoe Sprint National Championship in Limassol, she participated in the K2 200-metre event and won the competition. However, after the race, she went to the race officials and told them that in fact, her team crossed the finish line second and not first. Consequently, she deliberately deprived herself of the title.
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Paolo Di Canio
During a Premier League soccer game at 2000 season, Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard rushed out to grab the ball but after blocking the play, he injured himself. A West Ham player crossed the ball to Di Canio and he could have easily scored since the goalkeeper was nowhere near the box, but he catches the ball in probably the most prominent display of sportsmanship in modern soccer. He ended up winning the FIFA Fair Play Award the next year.
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