The 2000 trap shooting Olympic Champion Daina Gudzineviciute of Lithuania was recognized the IOC Women And Sport Award for Europe at a ceremony held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the 5th of October, as part of the Olympism in Action Forum’s Awards Ceremony.
Ms Gudzineviciute was recognized for her advocacy and her leadership in encouraging girls and women to participate more in sport and physical activities.
Introduced in 2000, the IOC Women and Sport Awards are given to women, men or organizations who have made remarkable contributions to the development, encouragement and reinforcement of women’s participation in sport. One World Trophy and five Continental Trophies are awarded every year. This year’s World Trophy was awarded to the Turkish Eczacıbaşı Sports Club for being a sporting pioneer in its country. Ms Rachel Muthoga (Kenya), Ms Chandra Crawford (Canada), Ms Samar Nassar (Jordan) and Ms Lauren Jackson (Australia) won continental titles along with Ms. Gudzineviciute
Ms. Gudzineviciute - a well known international shooting champion - currently serves as the President of the National Olympic Committee of Lithuania, while also as a member of the Executive Committee of the European Olympic Committee.
She became a national hero in Lithuania when she claimed gold in the first-ever women’s trap event at Sydney 2000, scoring 71 hits in the qualifying and hitting 22 out of 25 targets in the final, setting two Olympic records. The Olympic title crowned a successful career that saw her winning the 1988 European title in Istambul, and several international medals at all levels. After the Games, Gudzineviciute went on winning, securing a World Championship silver medal in Lathi in 2002, and a world cup gold medal in San Marino in 2009, while competing at a further four Olympic Games – Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012.
As President of the National Olympic Committee of Lithuania, Ms Gudzineviciute has used Olympic Day to encourage girls and women to participate more in sport and physical activities. While the event initially only offered athletes the chance to try out five sport disciplines, under Ms Gudzineviciute’s leadership, it became more inclusive, giving many more people the chance to try out all the Summer Olympic disciplines. The number of participants and visitors has dramatically risen, from 2000 in 1990 to 20,000 in 2017. She also organized the L-Team Winter Olympic Festival, which has taken place every year since 2014 with the aim to bring more attention and popularity to winter sports in Lithuania.
Ms Gudzineviciuete has aimed to inspire youth with a series of events, including the Olympic Village. Each year, schoolchildren from across Kaunas city are invited to take part in a week of activities at the Olympic Village, with each day dedicated to a specific Olympic value. The children have the opportunity to take part in different sport disciplines and even to talk to the nation’s most recognizable athletes, including Ms Gudzineviciute herself.