Rower Popova Receives IOC Women and Sport Trophy

Larisa Popova with IOC president Jacques Rogge

Larisa Popova of Moldova was one of the five recipients of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) 2003 Women and Sport Trophy presented today by IOC president Jacques Rogge in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The trophy, created in 2000, is awarded annually to a person, institution or organisation in recognition of their outstanding contribution to developing, encouraging and strengthening the participation of women and girls in physical and sports activities, in coaching, in sports administration and leadership structures as well as promoting female journalists and women's sport in the media.

IOC Women and Sport Trophy

As a rower, Popova won a gold medal in the women's double at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow before devoting her time to the promotion of sport in her country. She was appointed Director of the Tiraspol School of Sporting Excellence where she served as a model of perseverance for many young women and girls. She also played an important role in the promotion of women's sports as a chairwoman of the Women and Sport Association and member of the executive board of the national Association of Olympic athletes.

Five continental trophies are awarded each year to winners picked by the IOC Women and Sport Working Group chaired by Anita Defrantz, who participated in the medal ceremony via teleconferencing from Los Angeles, California.