TheLaureus World Sports Awards is an annual award ceremony honouring individuals and teams from the world of sports along with sporting achievements throughout the year. It was established in 1999 by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation founding patronsDaimler andRichemont. It is supported by its global partnersMercedes-Benz,IWC Schaffhausen andMitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. The name "Laureus" is derived from the Greek word forlaurel, considered a traditional symbol of victory in athletics.
The first ceremony was held on 25 May 2000 inMonte Carlo, at which South African presidentNelson Mandela gave the keynote speech. As of 2020[update], awards are made annually in eight categories, with a number of discretionary categories irregularly recognised. The recipient of each award is presented with a Laureus statuette, created byCartier, at an annual ceremony held in various locations around the world. As of 2020[update], the ceremonies have been held in eleven cities, and are broadcast in at least 160 countries.
Swiss tennis playerRoger Federer holds the record for the most awards with six, five for Sportsman of the Year and one for Comeback of the Year. American tennis playerSerena Williams and American artistic gymnastSimone Biles holds the record for most awards held by a female with five, four for Sportswoman of the Year and one for Comeback of the Year.Novak Djokovic won the 2024 Sports Man of the year award and grabbed his 5th title, making him the most decorated sportsman in the History of the Award along with Roger Federer.[1] A number of awards have been rescinded, namely those presented to American cyclistLance Armstrong, American sprinterMarion Jones and Canadian amputee sprinterEarle Connor, each of whom were subsequently found to have illegally used drugs to achieve their records. In the 2020 ceremony, Argentine footballerLionel Messi became the first footballer to win the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award. He is also the first and only athlete to win it coming from a team sport. Moreover, in 2023, Messi once again won it and became the only sportsperson as well as footballer to ever win the award twice from a team sport.[2][3]
Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair.
The organisation, established in 1998 to do charity[5] by a partnership of Richemont andDaimler became known as "Laureus", its name being derived from the Greek word forlaurel, considered a traditional symbol of victory in athletics.[6] The first Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony was held two years later, at which the patron and president of South Africa,Nelson Mandela, delivered a speech whichEdwin Moses has described as "iconic".[7]
Awards were made in seven regular categories and two discretionary categories at the inaugural ceremony, hosted by the American actorsJeff Bridges andDylan McDermott.[8] Two of those awards would later be rescinded: both the American cyclistLance Armstrong and the American track athleteMarion Jones were found to have used performance-enhancing drugs and had their awards withdrawn.[9] The award for American amputee sprinterEarle Connor, who won the 2004 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award, was also later rescinded.[10]
The awards are frequently referred to as the sporting equivalent of an "Oscar" for movies.[11][12][13]
The Laureus Nominations Panel, composed of more than 1,000 members of sports media from more than 70 countries, vote to create a shortlist of nominations in six categories:[14]
The Laureus World Sports Academy is an association of 68 retired sportspeople who volunteer to support the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. They also vote each year to decide the winners of the Laureus World Sports Awards. As of 2020[update], the chairman of the Academy isSean Fitzpatrick, former rugby player from New Zealand.[15] The members of the Academy vote by secret ballot to select the winners.[16]
The public votes to select the winner for one category, the Laureus Best Sporting Moment of the Year.[17]
The Academy also makes discretionary awards, including:[17]
The Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony is held annually at various venues in various locations around the world. The inaugural ceremony took place at theSporting Club in Monaco on 25 May 2000.[18] As of 2020[update], the ceremonies have been held in eleven cities around the world, and are broadcast in at least 160 countries.[19] Each Laureus World Sports Award winner receives aCartier Laureus statuette which features a "representation of the striving human form".[19] The award weighs approximately 2.5 kilograms (5.5 lb) (with 670 grams (24 oz) of solid silver and a 650-gram (23 oz) gold-finish base) and is 30 centimetres (12 in) tall.[19]
The Best Sporting Moment Award, inaugurated in 2017, and voted for by the public, was won by theFC Barcelona under-12 (Infantil-B) side for their sportsmanship in consoling a defeated opposition team.[54] The 2018 award was won by fans of theIowa Hawkeyes football team, who at the end of the first quarter of each home game turn toward thechildren's hospital that overlooks theplaying field andwave to patients watching the game.[55][56] For the 2020 ceremony, the Best Sporting Moment was drawn from the previous two decades and voted for by the general public.[57] Referred to as the "Laureus Sporting Moment Award (2000–2020)", it was won by Indian cricketerSachin Tendulkar.[58] In 2021,Chris Nikic was presented with the Best Sporting Moment award.[44]
Since 2000, the Laureus World Sports Awards have included a number of accolades given by the Academy at their discretion. At the first ceremony in 2000, Brazilian footballerPelé became the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, while AmericanEunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of theSpecial Olympics was presented with the inaugural Laureus Sport for Good Award.[9] The first Spirit of Sport award was presented in 2005 to theBoston Red Sox who had won the World Series for the first time in 86 years.[59] In 2013, American swimmerMichael Phelps became the first recipient of the Exceptional Achievement Award. As of 2018[update], Chinese tennis playerLi Na (2015) and Italian footballerFrancesco Totti (2018) are the only other people to be honoured with the award.[55][60] In 2017, theRefugee Olympic Team, comprising ten athletes from Syria, Congo, Ethiopia and South Sudan, was awarded the first Sporting Inspiration Award.[61] The following year, the award was presented to the American footballerJ. J. Watt whose "exceptional humanitarian efforts" raised more than US$37 million for those impacted byHurricane Harvey.[62] In 2021,Lewis Hamilton was presented with the Athlete Advocate of the Year Award.[63]
Roger Federer (6)
Tiger Woods (12)
Monaco
Lisbon, Portugal
Barcelona, Spain
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
London, United Kingdom
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Shanghai, China
Berlin, Germany
Paris, France.jpg)
