World Olympians Association inducts new class of ‘Olympians for Life’

The World Olympians Association (WOA) has unveiled the newest Olympians for Life as part of the Beijing Winter Games.

The event was hosted by Jamaican Olympian, and the inspiration for the film “Cool Runnings,” Chris Stokes. The new Olympians for Life were inducted by WOA Patron and five-time Olympian Prince Albert II of Monaco, as well as WOA President Joël Bouzou.

“We are delighted to be inducting five outstanding individuals into Olympians for Life, celebrating the achievements from their competitive career and beyond. Their stories show that an Olympian is much more than a champion and illustrate that the Olympic Values spread far wider than their respective sports.” said Bouzou.

This years inductees are:

Nigerian Simidele Adeagbo, Alain Calmat of France, Canadian Clara Hughes, Shiva Keshavan of India and Kiwi Ben Sandford.

All have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to winter sport and the promotion of the Olympic Values during and after their competitive careers.

Abdeagbo is a skeleton athlete who was recognized for her ongoing work to inspire and empower girls from some of the world’s most marginalized communities.

French figure skater Calmat was recognized for his dedication to medicine, politics and giving back to society.

Hughes, a speed skater and cyclist who won two bronze medals in Atlanta 1996 was noted for her devotion to combat the stigma around mental illness.

Keshavan, the Indian luger, was recognized for his trailblazing achievements and initiatives in grassroots development programs to grow winter sports in India, while Sandford, a World bronze medalist from New Zealand is leading the fight for cleaning up sports and promoting integrity, fairness and equality within sport.