• Ian Thorpe AM named winner of the Legendary Figure (Personaggio mito) Award
• Casey Stoner AM named winner of the Sport and Life (Sport e vita) Award

22 July 2022 | Sydney, Australia – A. Menarini Australia and New Zealand (Menarini ANZ) welcomes the announcement of two leading Australian sports stars, Ian Thorpe AM and Casey Stoner AM, as winners of the XXVI Fair Play Menarini International Awards. Now in its 26th year, the Fair Play Menarini International Award aims to recognise leaders in sport who have demonstrated the values of fair play – ethics, loyalty and respect – over the course of their careers.

“It’s fantastic to see two true Australian icons from the sporting world be recognised on an international stage, for the values they exemplify both within, and outside of, their chosen fields,” said Jonathan Mullings, General Manager of Menarini ANZ. “On behalf of the local Menarini ANZ team, I’d like to congratulate Ian and Casey on this well-deserved honour, and for becoming the first Australians to be named winners of the Fair Play Menarini International Award.”

An initiative of the Menarini Fair Play Foundation, the Awards are held annually in Italy, with the winners selected by an independent international Jury. Award recipients are typically champions, people and institutions of the national and international scene who have distinguished themselves as models of virtuous behaviour, both on and off the sporting field.

Now retired from swimming, Ian Thorpe AM is Australia’s most successful swimmer and one of the country’s greatest athletes, having won five Olympic gold medals, 10 Commonwealth Games gold medals and 11 world championship titles between 1998 and 2004. He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2008 and in 2019, was appointed as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for his significant service to youth and Indigenous education through charitable initiatives, in addition to his swimming.

“Fair play is important in all sports, not just in swimming,” said Mr Thorpe. “What you have in fair play is the values of what makes sport important. If we lose the value of sport for young people, we’ll unfortunately lose the opportunity to inspire a whole new generation.”

“I hope I was able to demonstrate fair play each time I competed,” said Mr Thorpe. “Fair play isn’t just about either winning or losing. At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, I came second in a race I thought I could win. Yet, I was as happy for my friend to have won that race, as I was for myself in not losing and having won a race the night before.”

As a mentor for youth and advocate for Indigenous education, Mr Thorpe believes the spirt of fair play will only be possible if everyone is given the same opportunities to participate in sport.

“When we talk about fair play, we must ensure there is an equal playing field for all of us, by supporting those who come from disadvantaged positions to participate in sport,” he said.

As winners of the Fair Play Menarini International Awards, Thorpe and Stoner join a group of more than 300 sports men and women who have become “Ambassadors of Fair Play” around the globe, and whose positive messages and sense of responsibility go far beyond the competition. All Fair Play Ambassadors have these values incorporated in their DNA and are committed to passing these values on.

Retired MotoGP rider, Casey Stoner AM, is the second youngest motorcycle World Champion in history, having won the title twice (2007 & 2011). He has received a number of prestigious accolades throughout his life, including being named Young Australian of the Year (2008); appointed as a member of the Order of Australia, for his significant services to motorcycle racing (2013); and inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (2015). He is also one of only three Australians to have won the MotoGP Riders Championship, along with Wayne Gardner and five-time winner Mick Doohan.

“I try to pride myself on demonstrating fair play with my racing, by always to respecting everyone around me,” said Mr Stoner. “Whether it was the other racers, the mechanics, or everybody in the industry; we all have a tough job. So while it’s easy to look from the outside and judge someone else, it’s much more difficult to be in their shoes.”

“I really value honours like the Menarini Fair Play International Award, which recognise those who put a lot of effort into their sport and profession – outside of competition,” he said. For more information on the Fair Play Menarini International Awards, please visit: https://www.menarini.com/en-us/news/fair-play-menarini

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For media enquiries, please contact: Tania Jayesuria | +61 404 094 744 | tania.jayesuria@outlook.com

About Menarini ANZ

Menarini ANZ, a subsidiary of Italy based Menarini Group, is a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering differentiated consumer health and ethical brands. Leveraging the extensive global infrastructure and go to market expertise of the Menarini Group, along with its unique insights of Asia-Pacific markets, patients and healthcare professionals; the company supports biopharmaceutical brands from R&D, through to manufacturing, regulatory approvals, sales and marketing.

With more than 75 employees, Menarini ANZ provides therapies and products in the areas of allergy and respiratory, cardiovascular disease, dermatology, gastroenterology, men's health, pain, and select specialty care.

Through its expertise in establishing in-license partnerships; Menarini ANZ delivers a wide range of prescription, non-prescription, biological and highly specialised treatments, while also significantly expanding and strengthening its product pipeline in areas such as cardiovascular disease, anti-infectives and haematology. Its unique Contract Sales Teams offering also ensures the pharmaceutical industry has a recognised and established local partner, which can help bring their life-changing and life-saving treatments to Australian patients faster.

About Menarini Asia-Pacific

Menarini Asia-Pacific is a member of the Menarini Group, the world’s largest Italian biopharmaceutical company with a heritage of over 135 years and over 17,000 employees in more than 140 countries. Here in Asia-Pacific, Menarini has a direct presence in 13 major healthcare markets with over 3500 employees and strives to be a leading provider of important healthcare brands and services to Invigorate Lives in the region. With robust R&D and manufacturing prowess, together with a distinctive omnichannel strategy, Menarini Asia-Pacific operates across the entire commercial value chain, from clinical development, regulatory approval and product launch to lifecycle management with a diverse portfolio of proprietary and partnered brands in Consumer Health, Dermatology, Allergy/Respiratory, Gastroenterology, Cardio-metabolic, Anti-infectives, Oncology/Specialty Care and Men’s Health. For more information, visit www.menariniapac.com

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