Dr. Savio L-Y. Woo Wins 1998 IOC Olympic Prize
The first Olympic Gold medal to be presented at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
The New Year has brought a unique and exciting honor to ORLAC. Our Dr. Woo has been awarded the International Olympic Committee�s 1998 Olympic Gold Medal for Sports Science, endowed by Parke-Davis, in recognition of his untiring contributions to the science of sports medicine. ORLAC is proud to celebrate this exciting news with its members and to share a description of this top honor in sports medicine as well as Dr. and Mrs. Woo�s trip to the XVIII Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
The Olympic Prize, established by the International Olympic Committee Medical Commission and endowed by Parke-Davis, was inaugurated in 1996 at the XXVII Summer Olympiad in Atlanta, GA. The recipient of this award receives a Certificate of Excellence, a prize of $250,000, and for the first time, an Olympic Gold Medal. This award honors outstanding scientific research related to human movement, physical exercise and sport and is bestowed upon a researcher who significantly impacts the science of sports medicine for the betterment of human kind. The selection committee, chaired by Dr. Benno Nigg, is comprised of a diversity of prestigious members from the biological, medical, physical, and psychological sciences, including cell biologist and Nobel laureate Dr. Christian de Duve.
This outstanding jury has recognized our in-depth investigation of the complex function of articular soft tissue, which has provided significant scientific data to drive advancements in surgical treatment of ligament injuries. They have also recognized our long history of groundbreaking work in sports medicine as well as our novel and numerous contributions to understanding both joint biomechanics and principles of rehabilitation.
On January 13, 1998, Dr. Woo travelled to New York for the formal announcement of this great honor. That morning, together with Olympian and orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Eric Heiden, Dr. Woo was interviewed by representatives of television and print media. Later, in the evening, he received the prize of $250,000 at a grand black-tie ceremony in his honor at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Both S.E. Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee, and Prince Alexandre de Merode, Chairman of the IOC Medical Commission, were present to honor Dr. Woo�s contributions.
Three generations of family celebrate this auspicious occasion.
The evening began with a formal cocktail reception at which the gold medal was displayed before it was to be brought to Japan. The party then moved to the banquet hall where the formal program began. After entertainment by a Broadway group, Mr. Anthony Wild, the President of Parke-Davis, spoke about his company�s commitment to the Olympic Movement and the IOC Olympic Prize. Dr. Eric Heiden then spoke about his personal motivation to advance the science of sports medicine. President Samaranch commented about the Olympic Movement and the importance of the IOC Olympic prize. Prince Alexandre de Merode enlightened the audience about the creation and the goal of the IOC Olympic Prize prior to revealing Dr. Woo as this year�s winner. Before Dr. Woo was invited to the podium, a video was shown summarizing his work. Mr. LJR de Vink, the Chief Operating Officer of Warner-Lambert, concluded by commending the partnership with IOC and wishing the athletes success in Nagano. The attendees then enjoyed a delicious five course dinner.
Drs. Paffenbarger and Morris, previous recipients of the IOC Prize with Dr. and Mrs. Woo.
After the exciting day in New York, news of Dr. Woo�s award reached the print and broadcast media as well as on the world wide web. If you visit the archives of www.annonline.com, you will find that Ann Devlin, an on-line talk show host, interviewed Dr. Woo on January 14, 1998. In addition, Dr. Woo was on the front cover of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and featured in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, USA Today, The New York Times and the Associated Press. He also received coverage in Pittsburgh neighborhood papers including The North Hills News Record, the Herald, and the Valley News Dispatch, as well as university papers including the Pitt News, the University Times and the UPMC Health System EXTRA!. News of Dr. Woo�s award even reached China�s World Journal! You may have also seen Dr. Woo on CNN, Pittsburgh�s local affiliates WPGH-TV (FOX), WPXI-TV (NBC), and KDKA-TV (CBS), as well as dozens of other stations around the country. In addition, he is scheduled to appear on CBS during the Olympics.
Dr. Woo with Dr. Benno Nigg, Chairman of the selection committe of the IOC Olympic Prize.
On January 30, 1998, Dr. and Mrs. Woo will travel to Nagano, Japan as guests of the International Olympic Committee, to attend the XVIII Winter Olympic Games. On February 2, before the 107th Opening Ceremonies of the Olympiad, Dr. Woo will receive the Nagano Game�s first Gold Medal, a special Olympic Medal designed for this prestigious award by Swiss artist Hans Erni. The medal features an active athlete inside the head of a scientist, symbolic of the relationship between the sports scientist and the athlete. The reverse side will be engraved with Dr. Woo�s name, the five Olympic rings, Nagano�s national symbol of a blossom tree as well as the inscription, �Nagano 1998.� Dr. Woo receives not only the first Olympic medal of the 1998 games, but the only Olympic medal given to a non-Olympic athlete.
Dr. and Mrs. Woo at the black-tie gala.
Dr. Woo is excited and proud that the combined dedication, effort, and ingenuity of all ORLAC members over the past 28 years have culminated in such high international esteem and is now receiving such superior recognition. Dr. Woo says that we can all take pride in such a vast accomplishment and the national and international renown we will receive. Dr. and Mrs. Woo plan to donate the award money to several nonprofit research and educational institutions, such as ORLAC, which educate young investigators. They believe that through their contribution, future generations of investigators can advance the fields of biomechanics, sports medicine, and rehabilitation to an even higher level of excellence!
Drs. Glen Livesay, Lars Gilbertson, Rich Debski, Jun-Kyo Suh, Ken Fischer, and Guoan Li with Dr. Savio L-Y. Woo and the Olympic Gold medal at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
We at ORLAC are proud of the work that has been accomplished both in the Orthopaedic Bioengineering Laboratory (OBL) in San Diego and at the Musculoskeletal Research Center (MSRC) in Pittsburgh, as well as the related laboratories that have begun as a result of the many alumni that have passed through the OBL and MSRC. We would like to extend our congratulations to Dr. Woo and thank him for the leadership and guidance he has provided us through all these years. He has enriched and nurtured our research, and without Dr. Woo, none of us would be where we are today. Congratulations again, Dr. Woo!