Three awards were presented during the course of the lunch to recognise the contributions that teams or individuals have made to the Olympic and Paralympic Movements.

The USOE, established by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) in 1984 to invest endowed funds following the surplus of Los Angeles 1984, honoured  the 1980 American Olympic men’s ice hockey team who claimed the gold medals in Lake Placid.

Their triumph was fondly remembered for their victory over the Soviet Union, who had won six of the past seven Olympic titles, due to the backdrop of the Cold War and now dubbed "Miracle on Ice".

As a result, the USOE named the team as winners of the William E. Simon Award, named after the President of the USOC from 1981 to 1985, for their extraordinary contributions to the advancement of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements.

The 1998 American Olympic women’s ice hockey team were named as the winners of the George M. Steinbrenner III Sport Leadership Award, an honour presented to people who have contributed to sport through management, sport organisation endeavours or the enhancement of competitive opportunities.

With their team having beaten their rivals Canada twice on route to the first-ever women’s ice hockey Olympic gold medal, awarded in Nagano, they were determined to have crafted a signature moment in the history of the Olympics.

Their triumph, after an unbeaten tournament in which they secured six straight victories, was hailed as having boosted the growth of women’s ice hockey throughout the country.

Gordon Crawford, chairman of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Foundation, was chosen as the inaugural recipient of the General Douglas MacArthur Award.

His leadership of volunteers and personal gifts to the Foundation were determined to have seen him provide a telling contribution to the Olympic and Paralympic Movements, which would live on for future generations, it was claimed.

Additionally, his establishment of the Crawford Family United States Olympic Archives, based at the USOC headquarters, and his support to renovations at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs were also key reasons for his honour.

The USOE, a non-profit organisation, aim to support the USOC and its member organisations to  enhance Olympic and Paralympic sports in the United States.