USOPA Awards

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Craig Gilbert, OLY receiving the DFL Award at the 2025 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Assembly (Photo by Getty Images)

USOPA Awards celebrate the achievements of Olympians and Paralympians beyond the field of competition. The three USOPA awards recognize athletes who use their platform to make meaningful impacts on their communities, excel in careers, and further meaningful causes. We congratulate and highlight their leadership, service, and dedication to furthering the movement.

  • The USOPA Award of Excellence

    Designed to highlight the application of values learned in sport to the rest of life and to celebrate USOPA members’ impacts beyond the field of play, this award’s intent is to celebrate member accomplishments in business, education, government, non-profit, community work and more. The Award of Excellence originated in 2024 in the Oregon USOPA Chapter with Chapter President John McArdle and was expanded into a nationwide Award available for Chapter Presidents to bestow upon their members in 2026. 

  • The Dorothy Franey Langkop Ambassador Award

    Given annually at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Assembly, the Dorothy Franey Langkop Ambassador Award honors a USOPA member who has dedicated their efforts to continued connection of their peers and celebration of the shared identity of Olympian and Paralympian. 

  • Louis Zamperini Lifetime Achievement Award

    Named after legendary 1936 Olympian and World War II POW Louis Zamperini, this highest award of USOPA is presented every four years at the organization's All Games, All Sports Reunion. The award is bestowed upon a member whose lifetime stands out among Olympic and Paralympic team members as Zamperini's did.