How the Most Inspiring Fair Play Awards Were Won

Learn from the Best and Be the Next Fair Play Hero! Do you want to become a Fair Play Hero, a real ambassador of your sport? Get inspiration from the stories of some great athletes, famous and celebrated champions or lesser-known competitors, who have lived and competed in the spirit of fair play throughout the exciting history of sport.

All of them have been individuals with different characters, but all of them must have also had something in common. Their exemplary behaviour and heroic acts have shaped their environment and contributed to the betterment of the world.

During the time of the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, in the next fortnight, visit the website of the International Committee for Fair Play and learn how you too can become a Fair Play Champion. How Dara Torres of USA won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympic after assisting her peer in the preliminaries

On 15 August 2008, Dara Torres participated in the preliminaries of the 50-metre swimming freestyle event at the Olympic Games in Beijing. Competing in her fifth edition of the Games at the age of forty-one, she was about to take her position for the heats. Suddenly, the swimsuit of one of her fellow competitors tore. Dara assisted her, but the rip could not be repaired on the spot and necessitated a suit change. Dara walked away from her starting block and requested that the officials postpone the start so that her competitor could change her suit and not miss the heat. Once the competitor returned, the race started, and everyone got a fair shot. Dara then proceeded to win her semi-final and eventually took a silver medal in the event. Fair play is the spirit of a champion.