American figure skater Ilia Malinin has received the Fair Play Award at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The honour was given after the men’s singles figure skating competition. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Malinin showed great sportsmanship during the event. After finishing eighth in the free skate, he congratulated Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov, who won the gold medal. Malinin’s action impressed fans and officials around the world. Many praised him for showing respect to a fellow athlete even after a difficult result for himself. The award was decided through a process that included a global public vote. This year’s Fair Play Award also recorded the highest fan participation in its history. The strong response from fans showed how much people value honesty, respect and sportsmanship in international sport.
Ilia Malinin honoured for sportsmanship at Winter Olympics 2026
Ilia Malinin received the award after showing support to Shaidorov immediately following the competition. The American skater had been leading earlier but dropped from first place to eighth after his free skate. Despite the disappointment, he walked over to congratulate Mikhail Shaidorov.Later that evening, Malinin explained why he approached the Kazakh skater. He said he wanted to congratulate him because he had seen his performance and felt proud of what he achieved. Malinin added that he knew Shaidorov had a tough season and that many skaters supported each other during the competition. He said figure skating is special because athletes encourage one another and feel like part of a large skating family. According to him, people often think competitors are rivals without strong relationships, but in reality there is a lot of respect, motivation and support among skaters.The Fair Play Award has a long Olympic history. The first recipient was Italian bobsledder Eugenio Monti at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. During the two-man competition, Monti helped British rivals Tony Nash and Robin Dixon by giving them a replacement bolt after their sled was damaged. The British team later won gold while Monti earned bronze.After receiving the award, Malinin said he felt honoured because of Monti’s legacy in Italy. He explained that congratulating Shaidorov was not about results but about the shared experience athletes have during competition. He also said it meant a lot that fans around the world connected with that moment.Malinin is expected to return to competition soon. His next major event is likely to be the World Figure Skating Championships, which will take place in Prague in a few weeks.
