The Visa Award - Paralympics now open to fans voting for the most inspiring moments of Beijing 2022
Following the success of the inaugural edition designed for Tokyo 2020, the IOC, IPC and Visa have announced a second fan-voted Visa award to celebrate the most inspiring moments of Beijing 2022.
Starting today, you - our fans - will once again have the opportunity to vote on the FanZone platform for your favourite moments and the Paralympic winter athletes who best exemplified three of the shared Olympic, Paralympic and Visa core values, which are friendship, acceptance and inspiration.
Today more than ever the world is looking for moments of kindness that uplift others and unite us as human beings. Designed jointly by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and Worldwide Partner Visa to engage and connect audiences around the world during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, The Visa Award is also aimed at encouraging people around the world to believe in and support each other, in line with the IPC's vision to make for an inclusive world through Para sport.
Vote now: Click here to select your favourite Paralympics moment
Athletes who best represent the Olympic, Paralympic and Visa values will be recognised throughout the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, and a selection of the most emblematic moments will be added to the FanZone section of the Olympics app and website for fan voting.
Six iconic moments will be voted on to advance three Paralympic finalists for final voting, which opens today 8 March. Both the Olympic and Paralympic Visa Award winners will be announced after the Paralympic Games Beijing 2022.
To recognise and celebrate The Visa Award winners, Visa will give each winning Olympian and Paralympian the opportunity to choose an eligible charity that reflects the shared Olympic and Paralympic values, to which Visa will donate USD 50,000 each in an effort to inspire communities to make a social impact and demonstrate Visa’s commitment to athletes and community giving.
For the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, Olympic skateboarder Rayssa Leal and Paralympic javelin thrower Holly Robinson were the athletes selected by fans for the way they rose above the competition with their inspiring actions.
Rayssa lifted her rivals' spirits with spontaneous acts of friendship, while Holly took the time to recognise and thank the officials immediately after winning the Paralympic title so they could share in her moment. The charities, which were selected by the winners - respectively Social Skate and Ronald McDonald House - each received a USD 50,000 donation from Visa.