Handball national goalkeeper Andreas Wolff has been awarded the German Sports Fair Play Prize. Para-athlete Johannes Floors can look forward to the special prize.
Wolff played in the preliminary round game of the World Cup in January 2023 against Algeria and in the subsequent main round game against Norway “repeated impressive fair play” shown, the justification states: “In both games he advocated to the referees that opposing players should not receive time penalties after they indirectly hit him in the head with throws.”
“Means much to me”
“For me it is a given that in these situations we should show the truth and not impose time penalties on the opponent. This rule was introduced to protect us goalkeepers. Therefore, we should not exploit it to gain an advantage.”said Wolff, who received the award “Dear” feels: “It means a lot to me.”
Every year, the German Sports Fair Play Prize honors athletes or initiatives that demonstrate a particularly high level of respect, friendship or solidarity on and off the pitch. The sponsors are the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and the Association of German Sports Journalists (VDS). The prizes will be awarded as part of the Biebrich Castle Talk on April 25, 2024 in Wiesbaden.
Special award for Floors for “remarkable empathy”
The special prize for 2023 goes to para-athlete Johannes Floors. The world record holder had before the 400 meter final of the World Para Athletics Championships “remarkable empathy” shown for a competitor whose prosthesis broke during preparation – and then won gold. “Johannes Floors is not only an outstanding athlete, but also a prime example of fair play. His impressive successes and his philanthropic attitude make him a deserving recipient of the special award.”emphasizes Katja Kliewer, chairwoman of the board of the German Disabled Sports Youth.
Praise for Aurelia Wolundoko and Willi Orban
Thanks to “Fair play en masse” the donors had received numerous nominations for 2023. In order to take into account the many promising submissions, the jury announced two “commendations”: In the “Sport” category, badminton player Aurelia Wolundoko was honored. She had been in the mixed final of the German U17 Championship a wrong decision was overruled in their favor, which led to the loss of the second set and a short time later to their defeat.
In the “Special Prize” category, professional footballer Willi Orban is highlighted, who skipped the Bundesliga game against Union Berlin in order to donate stem cells.