Jesse Owens International Trophy

The Jesse Owens International Trophy is an annual sports award that is given out by the International Athletic Association (IAA), named after Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens.[lower-alpha 1] It has been awarded annually since 1981, with the exception of a ten-year break from 2004 to 2014.[1] In 2002 and 2003, it was briefly renamed "American-International Athlete Trophy" before it returned to its original name.[2]

This article is about the annual award for all sportspeople. For the annual award for only American track and field athletes, see Jesse Owens Award.

The award was created and promoted by Herb Douglas, American long jumper and Olympic silver medalist in 1948. Douglas was inspired by Jesse Owens and founded the IAA.[3] After the pause due to Douglas' old age, former Penn Quakers football player Wesley E. Smith became chairman of the International Athletic Association and rebooted the award.[4]

There is a separate and unrelated annual track and field award called the Jesse Owens Award given out by USA Track & Field since 1981.

Criteria

The award is presented to "that amateur athlete who, in the opinion of an international blue-ribbon panel of sports experts, best personifies those qualities of that great Olympian after whom it is named. Those qualities are excellence in athletic accomplishment and performance, a high standard of sportsmanship, and a sincere commitment to cooperation among peoples of all nations".[5] In 2016, the winner was selected by polling the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), an international organization of sports journalists.[6]

List of recipients
YearWinnerNationalitySportR.
1981Eric Heiden United StatesLong-track speed skating[5]
1982Sebastian Coe Great BritainAthletics[5]
1983Mary Decker United StatesAthletics[5]
1984Edwin Moses United StatesAthletics[5]
1985Carl Lewis United StatesAthletics[7]
1986Said Aouita MoroccoAthletics[7]
1987Greg Louganis United StatesDiving[7]
1988Ben Johnson CanadaAthletics[7]
1989Florence Griffith-Joyner United StatesAthletics[7]
1990Roger Kingdom United StatesAthletics[3]
1991Greg LeMond United StatesRoad bicycle racing[3]
1992Mike Powell United StatesAthletics[3]
1993Vitaly Scherbo BelarusArtistic gymnastics[3]
1994Wang Junxia ChinaAthletics[3]
1995Johann Olav Koss NorwaySpeed skating[3]
1996Michael Johnson United StatesAthletics[3]
1997Michael Johnson United StatesAthletics[8]
1998Haile Gebrselassie EthiopiaAthletics[9]
1999Marion Jones United StatesAthletics[10]
2000Lance Armstrong United StatesRoad bicycle racing[11]
2001Marion Jones United StatesAthletics[12]
2002Ian Thorpe AustraliaSwimming[13]
2003Lance Armstrong United StatesRoad bicycle racing[14]
Not awarded from 2004 to 2013
2014Usain Bolt JamaicaAthletics[4]
2017Serena Williams[lower-alpha 2] United StatesTennis[6]

References
  1. "Usain Bolt, Messi, Phelps, LeBron among finalists for Prestigious Jesse Owens International Award". TrackAlerts. January 28, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  2. "Jesse Owens' Olympic Gold Medal". Southeastern Antiquing and Collecting Magazine. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  3. "Silent success: Douglas' Olympics prowess is Pittsburgh treasure". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 20, 1996. p. 14. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  4. "Usain Bolt Earns Jesse Owens International Athlete Trophy". RunnerSpace. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  5. "Moses' reputation further enhanced". Asbury Park Press. January 22, 1984. p. 39. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  6. "Jesse Owens Gala". Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  7. "Griffith Joyner dashes off with Jesse Owens Award". Camden, New Jersey: Courier-Post. February 22, 1989. p. 29. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  8. "Johnson, Nike strike deal: Six years, possible $12M". The Atlanta Constitution. February 4, 1997. p. 122. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  9. "Gebrselassie awarded the Jesse Owens International Trophy". World Athletics. January 29, 1998. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  10. "NORTH CAROLINA ATHLETE JONES AWARDED JESSE OWENS TROPHY". Greensboro News & Record. January 19, 1999. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  11. "Lance Armstrong wins Jesse Owens award". World Athletics. January 18, 2000. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  12. "PLUS: AWARDS; Jones Receives Jesse Owens Award". New York Times. January 25, 2001. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  13. "Swimmer Ian Thorpe Honored". Midland Daily News. February 26, 2002. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  14. "International Amateur Athletic Association to Honor Lance Armstrong as Winner Of 23rd Annual American-International Athlete Trophy". Gale Academic Onefile. January 16, 2003. Retrieved June 17, 2024.

Notes
  1. The IAA is often confused with the IAAF (now known as World Athletics), but the two organizations are distinct.
  2. The award winners were originally announced for an October 2016 gala, but it was later postponed to April 2017. A separate "Jesse Owens Award for Global Peace" was given to American boxer Muhummad Ali.[6]
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