Kip Keino receives Fair Play Award in Paris

At the International Fair Play Committee’s (CIFP) Annual Awards ceremony which took place last night at UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters, 62-year-old Kipchoge Keino, the 1968 Olympic 1500m and 1972 Olympic Steeplechase champion was presented with the Willi Daume Trophy by IOC President Jacques Rogge and CIFP President Dr. Jeno Kamuti. The IAAF was represented at the ceremony by General Secretary Istvan Gyulai.

The awards annually honour the world’s finest sportsmen and women, who have not only devoted their lives to winning but at the same time respected the rules of the game, the principles of fair play.

The Willi Daume Trophy, which is named after the legendary German sports diplomat) is for "institutional fair play" recognises an organisation, company or institute for its efforts in the field, and was awarded this year to Keino and his school in Kenya, which raises and educates orphaned children.

For three decades Keino and his wife, Phyliss have adopted over 400 homeless and orphaned children, with the majority of them now self supporting and others still learning at Universities abroad.

The Kipchoge children’s home is a unique family, which has 92 orphaned children in it’s care at present. The home's objective is to offer shelter, love and education to the less fortunate members of the society. Their goal is to impart knowledge and a positive attitude to the children, thus empowering them to contribute like others in a modern society.

To achieve this, Kipchoge Keino has also built a modern Primary School accommodating 292 children, some drawn from the children's home and the surrounding environment. They are now focusing to raise funds to build boarding facilities and a Secondary School.

The CIFP was founded with the leadership of the UNESCO, the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) and the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) in 1963, with a mission to promote globally the continual practice of Fair Play principles that are intrinsic to sports and games. Its objective is the world-wide defence and promotion of fair play by working together with international and national organizations involved in sports and education, in particularly with athletes, children, adolescents and those in charge of training them - coaches, teacher, trainers.

Through its 40-year history, CIFP has been able to honour over 500 commendable acts and careers of fair play. Award winners have included Arthur Ashe, Prince Albert of Monaco, Bobby Charlton, Emil Zatopek, Stefan Edberg, Sergey Bubka, Nelson Mandela, Martina Navratilova, etc. In addition to famous sportsmen and women, winners may include lesser-known athletes, and youngsters. The goal is to showcase role models for millions of athletes around the world, rewarding athletes who have excelled with their fairness and are now retiring from active sports.

CIFP & IAAF.