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Pierre De Coubertin Award 2017

Every year the Nossal sports department nominates one student for the Pierre de Coubertin Award. The award was named after the founder of the Modern Olympic Games. The Pierre de Coubertin Award recognises students who demonstrate academic excellence and sporting prowess whilst exemplifying the Olympic values.

This year’s recipient Fiona Ku has not only participated in a wide variety of sport in an out of school. She has continued to give back to the sporting community by coaching different teams, as well running and leading the Inter-house sport competition at Nossal. Manisha Venkat was the runner up. Both girls were selected to attend an Olympic Academy and Awards Ceremony on International Olympic Day, which was held at the MCG, a fitting venue with much Olympic history as the home of the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games. The awards are funded by the Department of Education & Training and delivered by the Victorian Olympic Council. 

Fiona writes:

On Friday the 23rd of June, Manisha Venkat and I had the privilege of attending the Olympic Academy at the MCG. They were given an opportunity to meet and interact with Australian Olympians such as Gold Medallists Catherine Skinner (Shooting) and Ellia Green (Rugby Sevens) who shared their experiences as elite athletes including their training regime and diet. We also had the opportunity to visit the National Sports Museum where we saw sports memorabilia spanning over 100 years. It was a truly incredible experience learning about how much sport has evolved over the years as we saw things such as running shoes from 20th century, completely polar to the ones that we have today. Cathy Freeman’s Olympic bodysuit was on display as well as the Olympic torches and it was breathtaking seeing so much Australian sports history and victory. We left the museum in awe of what we had seen and felt a tremendous sense of pride to be part of a nation so well known for its sporting triumphs. We learnt about the Olympic values including attitude, sportsmanship, pride, individual responsibility, respect and expressing yourself which we aim to encompass not only in sport, but in our own lives too. The day was full of excitement and delicious food and definitely provided Manisha and I with greater insight and appreciation for the world of sports which has further inspired us in our future sporting dreams and goals.