Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko receives ESPN's Arthur Ashe Courage Award
Vitali Klitschko’s mettle already earned him his world’s heavyweight boxing champion title.
Now, he displays his bravery and courage as mayor of Ukraine's capital of Kyiv, determined to protect his people from Russian forces — far beyond the actions of a typical sporting hero.
Klitschko's athletic history and dedication to protecting his people prompted ESPN to anoint him the 2022 Arthur Ashe Courage Award winner, the company announced Tuesday. ESPN will officially present the award during the ESPYs on July 20.
“It is a great honor for me to receive this award,” Klitschko, 50, said in a prepared statement distributed by ESPN. “I am convinced that this is a recognition of the courage and inviolability of the Ukrainian people, who have been bravely resisting the Russian aggressor for more than three months.
"This is an award for everyone who defends the independence and freedom of Ukraine.”
Klitschko has served as the mayor of Kyiv since 2014 and many consider him the nation’s most visible citizen next to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He has stood next to his brother, former heavyweight-champion Wladimir Klitschko, throughout Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
BROTHERS IN ARMS: Boxing greats Vitali, Wladimir Klitschko in fight of their lives for Ukraine
Never one to shy from confrontation, Wladimir accepted his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Friday alongside his brother and called out former four-division champion and fellow inductee Roy Jones Jr. for traveling to Russian-occupied Crimea.
“So, Roy, whose side are you on?” Wladimir Klitschko asked of the American in a filmed acceptance statement. “I respect you as a fighter, but I really question your moral compass.”
Thank you, fans and officials.
When I was 14 and started my journey in boxing I’ve never dreamed of being among all these champions in the HOF.
All of us here have a huge responsibility. It is up to us to build the future of boxing.
Keep on punching#HallOfFameCanastota pic.twitter.com/KSX5dhJ9WK— Klitschko (@Klitschko) June 11, 2022
That type of unbending principle resides deep in Vitali, who took to arming himself, wearing a bulletproof jacket and military helmet while defending his nation with three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko and current heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk also joining armed battalions.
“It’s unimaginable pressure for any human, including a world class athlete,” the Klitschkos’ boxing promoter Tom Loeffler told USA TODAY Sports+. “Given everything he’s gone through, defending his country in a life-and-death situation, it’s a very well-deserved honor.”
ESPN called the Klitschko brothers “leaders in (the) Ukrainians’ remarkable response to the invasion.”
“Vitali’s poise and strength as his city and country faces unfathomable tests have far surpassed the incredible resolve he demonstrated as one of boxing’s top heavyweight champions,” said Rob King, executive editor-at-large of ESPN content. “His commitment to the people of Ukraine has been a global inspiration, and his bravery is a prime example of the resilience of the human spirit. It is our privilege to bestow him with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.”
Other notable Arthur Ashe Award recipients through the years include Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, Jim Valvano, Pat and Kevin Tillman, the four passengers who confronted the 9/11 terrorists on United Flight 93 and Billie Jean King among many others “whose contributions transcend sports.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko wins Arthur Ashe Courage Award
