BEIJING -- South African swimmer Natalie du Toit and Panamanian runner Said Gomez received the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award, a special award for athletes who can best represent the Paralympic spirit, at the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in the National Stadium on Wednesday night.

South African swimmer Natalie du Toit (R) shakes hands with Panamanian runner Said Gomez on the podium before they receive the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award at the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in the National Stadium on Wednesday night. [Xinhua]

The award, usually given to one female athlete and one male athlete, was named after South Korean Whang Youn Dai, an athlete with polio who dedicated herself to the development of Paralympic sport around the world.

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The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) established the honor at the 1988 Paralympic Games in Seoul to recognize Whang's life-long contribution to the Paralympic Movement.