Bourgonje and Takayuki to Receive Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award

The Award recognizes elite athletes with a disability that have demonstrated an exceptional level of determination to overcome their adversities through sport and the Paralympic Games.

During the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games nominations were received from National Paralympic Committees (NPC). The athletes were nominated by the Chef de Missions of the delegations competing at the Paralympic Winter Games. Out of all the nominees, six (three male and three female) went through to the final round.

The names of the six finalists selected in the second round are as follows:

Male: Georges Bettega (France), Valery Jupchinsky (Russia) and Endo Takayuki (Japan)

Female: Paraskevi (Vivi) Christodoulopoulous (Greece), Collette Bourgonje (Canada) and Jacqui Kapinowski (USA).

The final two winners were chosen by an independent panel of judges comprising of IPC Governing Board members earlier this morning.

Dr. Whang Youn Dai and Sir Philip Craven, IPC President will be presenting these two athletes with a pure gold medal during the Closing Ceremony in Whistler on 22 March.

The mission of the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award is to enhance the will of people with a disability to conquer their adversities through the pursuit of excellence in sports and through the Paralympic Games. These two winners have shown exceptional qualities that represent this award.

More information on the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award and details on the athletes can be found on the official website at www.whangprize.org.