Today the sporting world salutes World Fair Play Day, the brand-new fixture on the global calendar that was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly last July.
World Fair Play Day may be in its infancy, yet the Olympic movement has been rehearsing for this moment for more than a century.
A pledge that outlasts medals
Back in Antwerp in 1920, athletes first raised their right hands and vowed to compete “in the true spirit of sportsmanship.”
Ever since, that oath has been the quiet soundtrack to every Opening Ceremony and the yard-stick by which true champions measure themselves.
Modern moments that echo the oath
Fair play is not a museum piece; it is lived, often under the white-hot glare of an Olympic spotlight. Recent Games have supplied vivid examples:
- Paris 2024 – Ellie Black’s arm around a rival
Canadian gymnast Ellie Black was awarded the Fair Play Award after consoling France’s Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos, who had fallen several times in qualifying. “To me, gymnastics and sport is more than just the end result,” said Black. “We are competitors and we want to compete, but you want to see everyone do their best and have a really great competition. Sport is so much more than just performances and being competitive, so I think that was an incredible moment [with De Jesus dos Santos] and I think at the Olympics we see a lot of those sportsmanship moments.” - Tokyo 2020 – Skateboarders lift a fallen friend
The women’s street finalists hoisted Japan’s Misugu Okamoto onto their shoulders after her last-run crash, turning personal disappointment into a collective triumph of spirit. - Rio 2016 – A mid-race rescue on the track
New Zealand distance runner Nikki Hamblin stopped to help America’s Abbey D’Agostino after both tumbled in the 5,000 m heats. Injured but undeterred, they finished together, earning applause that drowned out the stadium PA. - Turin 2006 – Norway lends Canada a pole
Coach Bjørnar Håkensmoen handed Canadian skier Sara Renner a spare pole after hers snapped in the team sprint. Canada claimed silver; Norway settled for fourth. No regrets, just respect. - Innsbruck 1964 – Eugenio Monti’s golden bolts
Italian bobsleigh legend Eugenio Monti twice repaired rivals’ sleds, gifting Britain a bolt and Canada an axle fix. Both teams won gold while Monti took bronze, later shrugging: “Nash didn’t win because I gave him the bolt. He won because he had the fastest run.”
A trophy cabinet for character
The International Olympic Committee now partners with the International Fair Play Committee to present Fair Play Awards at every Games, ensuring that acts of generosity share stage space with world records.
These accolades culminate today in the inaugural World Fair Play Day, a date that will now sit permanently between the close of the European football season and the start of the summer athletics circuit.
Beyond banners and hashtags
Fair play is more than a marketing slogan; it is the moral muscle of sport. When Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympics, he insisted that rules were worthless without the right attitude.
A century later, the UN’s endorsement of World Fair Play Day is a fresh reminder that the handshake remains as essential as the photo-finish camera.
Looking ahead
From school sports halls to Olympic arenas, the next generation now has 19 May circled in red. If today encourages even one child to put a teammate before a trophy, the day will have earned its place in the sporting almanack — and kept the Olympic flame burning just that little bit brighter.
