Samaranch and Rogge Present Academy's Disabled Athlete Award to Ljubisic
Lilo Ljubisic (c) with Jacques Rogge (l), IOC President and Juan Antonio Samaranch (r), IOC Honorary President
His Excellency Juan Antonio Samaranch and International Olympic Committee President Dr. Jacques Rogge presented Ljiljana (Lilo) Ljubisic with the United States Sports Academy’s Juan Antonio Samaranch IOC President’s Disabled Athlete Award during a ceremony on 7 February at the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Switzerland.
Ljubisic is a five-time Paralympian (1984 to 2000), a six-time Paralympic medalist, the chair of the IPC Athletes Council and a member of the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board.
“I owe a big debt to the Olympic Movement for providing some [of her] early memories, watching on television the amazing gymnasts, ski jumpers and ice skaters, and also for providing incredible inspiration,” said Ljubisic, who proudly dedicated the award to her parents for giving her the ability to trust in herself and allow her to pursue her dreams.
Born in Yugoslavia, Ljubisic is a blind athlete who has dealt with more challenges than most of us can imagine, yet she has prevailed as one of Canada’s most accomplished Paralympians.
“We can all express our admiration and respect for the tremendous work she has done as a leader for the advancement of disabled sport,” added Rogge.
Ljubisic, 41, began to lose her sight after she was given the wrong medication when she was just 16 months old. A series of corneal transplants were not able to keep her from completely losing her sight. A multiple record holder, Ljubisic set two world and Paralympic records in the discus and shot put at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. These records stand to this day.
Ljubisic serves as an Executive Board Member for the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport (CAAWS), as a board member of 2010 Legacies Now Society and as a member of the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes Commission. She was also a longstanding Board Member with Athletes Canada.
She was recently recognized by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) as one of Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 for 2007. For four years running, Ljubisic has been named one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Women in Canadian Sport” by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS). In recognition of her many years dedicated to fighting for the rights of athletes and women, she received the 2004 Isabel Ferrer Prize, which was granted by the European Commission for the International Year for Education and Sport.
The Juan Antonio Samaranch IOC Disabled Athlete Award is presented annually to the physically challenged athlete, past or present, who displays courage, desire and athletic ability in the face of adversity to achieve the goals set forth in the athlete's particular arena of competition.
The Disabled Athlete award has been presented annually since 1990 as part of the Academy’s Awards of Sport Medallion Series, which pays “Tribute to the Artist and the Athlete.” Past recipients include Jim McLaren, Andy Leonard, Linda Mastandrea, Marlon Shirley, Rudy Garcia-Tolson and Sir Philip Craven. For a complete list, please visit http://www.asama.org.
Academy Award recipients are presented with the Academy's Order of the Eagle Exemplar medal and Academy Rosette. The Academy's Order of the Eagle Exemplar medallion was designed by the Academy's Sport Artist of the Year 1990, Blair Buswell. The Academy Rosette is modeled after the Legion of Honour, which was instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. A rosette is a symbol of recognition and affiliation.
