Hip-hop icon Flavor Flav will be honored at the 2026 Clio Sports Awards alongside NFL Hall of Famer turned Emmy-winning broadcaster Michael Strahan and soccer superstar and producer Kelley O’Hara. The ceremony will be held at The Edison Ballroom in New York City on Dec. 8.
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Flav, 67, will receive The Clio Sports Impact Award in recognition of his commitment to increasing visibility and investment in the success of women’s teams. Strahan, 54, will receive the Honorary Clio Sports Award in recognition of his influence across sports, media and popular culture. O’Hara, 38, will receive The Clio Sports Impact Award, presented by AT&T, which recognizes athletes who embody the brand’s “She’s Connected” platform highlighting women athletes who are making an impact in business, entrepreneurship and community both on and off the field of play.
Flavor Flav has emerged as one of women’s sports’ most passionate and unexpected champions, using his platform to spotlight athletes and create opportunities beyond the podium. Flav has championed Team USA’s female athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics and 2026 Winter Olympics, supporting U.S. water polo, bobsled and skeleton. Through financial support, sponsorships and his SHE Weekend initiative connecting female Olympians and Paralympians with fans and potential sponsors, he has turned his passion into meaningful advocacy.
Flavor Flav cofounded Public Enemy in 1985 with Chuck D. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 (its first year of eligibility) and received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2020.
Journalist, podcaster and television host Pablo Torre will front the 2026 Clio Sports Awards. His podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out, won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting.
Clio Sports was launched in 2014 to celebrate excellence in sports advertising and marketing. Each year, the program pays special honors to athletes and public figures who have significantly impacted the world of sports by channeling their creativity in new ways that simultaneously move their industry forward and shape popular culture.