Surfer Roger Casugay has finally received his Pierre de Coubertin Act of Fair Play trophy during the awards rites by the organizing Council of the International Fair Play Committee in Budapest, Hungary over the weekend.
Casugay received the award for his heroic actions during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games where he gave up his lead in the competition to assist a competitor stranded without a surfboard.
The act cost him the gold medal, but he was able to win the gold in a different event.
Casugay thanked the committee for the recognition given to gestures of fair play by an athlete who impedes their own performance to aid a fellow competitor.
“It’s an honor to receive this World Fair Play Award. I’m so grateful and happy to be one of the awardees,” Casugay wrote on his social media.