All Black captain Tana Umaga joins a long line of respected statesmen and sportspeople, including Nelson Mandela and former England football great Bobby Charlton, when he receives an international fair play award in Greece today.
Umaga won the 2003 Pierre de Coubertin Trophy in recognition of his assistance to an
injured Welsh player in a test match in Hamilton last year.
Umaga stopped playing to check on Welsh captain Colin Charvis, who had been knocked unconscious in a tackle and was in danger of swallowing his tongue. He moved Charvis into the recovery position.
Umaga, 31, was nominated by the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
He receives the trophy, bestowed by the International Committee for Fair Play (CIFP), in a ceremony in Athens this morning (NZ time).
Prince Albert of Monaco and tennis stars Martina Navratilova and Stefan Edberg are among previous recipients of the award.
The committee is a non-government organisation recognised by the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee.
