Philipp Jelinek, an athlete with a heart of gold

He gets Austria moving and wins prize sponsored by Austrian Lotteries

Philipp Jelinek was awarded the 'Sportler mit Herz' [athlete with a heart of gold] prize at the Austrian Lotteries Sporthilfe Gala [sports aid gala]. In addition to the winner's trophy, he received the prize worth 5,000 euro sponsored by Austrian Lotteries for all the work he does to improve the physical mobility of Austrians. Born out of the coronavirus pandemic, the 'Fit mit Philipp' [fit with Philipp] project now inspires thousands of people in front of their TV sets every day. But in addition to getting young and old moving on TV, Philipp also visits schools and people requiring special assistance to inspire and motivate them in person locally. 

There are many athletes who are committed to helping others. They help fellow human beings with great projects – this year there were 13 – and in so doing demonstrate that their hearts are in the right place. The 'Sportler mit Herz' category combines two areas that are especially important to Austrian Lotteries: one is sport and the other is the social sector. The award was presented for the tenth time this year in cooperation with Sports Media Austria and Austrian Sports Aid.