"those individual athletes or teams who, through their remarkable success, their refusal to accept defeat or their unquestionable contribution to the enjoyment of the game"[1]
TheLaureus Spirit of Sport Award is an award honouring "those individual athletes or teams who, through their remarkable success, their refusal to accept defeat or their unquestionable contribution to the enjoyment of the game".[1] It was first awarded in 2005 as one of the discretionary awards presented during theLaureus World Sports Awards.[3] The awards are presented by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, a global organisation involved in more than 150 charity projects supporting 500,000 young people.[4] The first ceremony was held on 25 May 2000 inMonte Carlo, at whichNelson Mandela gave the keynote speech.[5] The recipient is presented with a Laureus statuette, created byCartier, at an annual awards ceremony held in various locations around the world.[6] Although the Laureus Awards ceremony is held annually, the Spirit of Sport Award is not necessarily presented every time; it is one of a number of discretionary awards that can be given by the Laureus World Sports Academy.[3] Since its establishment, no award has been made six times, in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018 and 2020.
The inaugural winner of the Laureus Spirit of Sport Award in 2005 was the Americanbaseball teamBoston Red Sox who won their firstWorld Series for 86 years in the2004 Major League Baseball season. As of 2017[update], five teams and four individuals have received the award. One of these individuals was honoured posthumously: Dutch formerfootballer andcoachJohan Cruyff won the accolade in 2016, having died the previous month; his award was presented to his sonJordi Cruyff by fellow DutchmanRuud Gullit at the ceremony in Berlin.[7] No award was made in 2020;[2][8] the most recent recipient of the Laureus Spirit of Sport Award was the Americanalpine skierLindsey Vonn in 2019.[9]
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