Americas
Muhammad Ali awarded US Liberty Medal
Boxing legend honoured for lifetime role as champion of humanitarian causes and civil rights.
Last Modified: 14 Sep 2012 12:51

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali has become the first athlete to receive the prestigious Liberty Medal, which is described as "honouring people who strive to secure liberty for others around the world".

Since he retired from boxing in 1981, Ali has spent time travelling around the world as an activist and philanthropist.

He went to Iraq to secure the release of American hostages in 1990, and has been to Cuba, North Korea and Afghanistan on goodwill missions.

Al Jazeera’s Cath Turner reports from the ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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