Slovak ice hockey player Nela Lopusanova is the winner of the Piotr Nurowski Award for the best young European athlete in winter sports for 2023. She received the prestigious award in Paris during the 43rd Seminar of the European Olympic Committees. Lopusanova is the first Slovak winner of the Piotr Nurowski Award. Last year, ice hockey player Juraj Slafkovský came second in the vote for young athletes aged 14 to 18. The Piotr Nurowski Prize is awarded annually to young athletes who have excelled in their sport and at the same time embody and represent the Olympic values and ideals both on and off the playing field. The winner was chosen by representatives of the National Olympic Committees of Europe. They first identified the five finalists in cooperation with the expert committee of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) and voted on the final ranking after their presentation at the Paris Seminar. "Representing my country is the greatest honour and priority for me. My goal is to qualify for the Olympic Winter Games with the national team," said Lopusanova during her presentation.
Source: TASR
