Olympic speedskating champion Joey Cheek will receive the inaugural Heisman Humanitarian Award for his efforts to help refugees in war-ravaged Darfur.

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After winning gold and silver medals at the Turin Olympics this year, Cheek donated all of his performance bonuses,a total of $40,000 (euro30,000),to Right To Play, a humanitarian organization founded by another Olympic champion, Johann Olav Koss.

Cheek earmarked his money for refugees in Darfur, a region in the African nation of Sudan. Three years of fighting between government and rebel forces have caused the deaths of more than 200,000 people and forced some 2.5 million from their homes.

Cheek was chosen to carry the U.S. flag at the closing ceremonies in Turin, and his donations helped generate more than US$500,000 (euro376,000) in aid for victims in Darfur. He has since retired from skating and founded his own nonprofit organization, Where Will We Be?

The Heisman Trophy Trust will make a US$25,000 (euro19,000) donation in Cheek's name to Right To Play.

"Every time I receive a blessing, I look at it as an incredible opportunity to help someone else," said Cheek, who plans to study economics at Princeton University next year. "This award is a huge honor, but even more important is the chance it gives me to speak out for those with no voice."