Paying tribute to the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year

Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter of all time, heads the sporting legends attending this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards, the most prestigious honours event on the international sporting calendar in Madrid on 22 April. This will be the 25th edition of the Laureus Awards. The world’s greatest athletes are shortlisted for Awards across seven elite categories, including Sportsman of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year, Team of the Year and Comeback of the Year. First held in 2000, the annual event honours the greatest and most inspirational sporting triumphs of the year and showcases the work of Laureus Sport for Good. The award ceremony is regarded as the ‘Athletes’ Awards’ due to the unique selection process and the regard in which they are held by sportsmen and women at all levels. The responsibility of selecting the Winners falls to the Members of the Laureus World Sports Academy – legends of sport who are best placed to appreciate the unique stories and achievements of the Nominees selected in each category by a panel of over 1,300 top sports media. Shortlists for seven categories (Sportswoman, Sportsman, Team, Breakthrough, Comeback, Action and Sport for Good) are created by votes from sports media from over 70 countries. The shortlist for World Athlete of the Year with a Disability is provided by the International Paralympic Committee.Nominees are selected after a vote by the world’s sports media, and only at Laureus are the winners chosen by sporting legends – the 69 all-time greats of the Laureus World Sports Academy. That’s why the Laureus statuette has become as sought after a prize as any that these superstars compete for in the sporting arena. This year’s Nominees include some of the greatest athletes in the world. Last year’s winner, Lionel Messi, is again nominated for Sportsman of the Year, alongside Erling Haaland, Mondo Duplantis, Noah Lyles, Max Verstappen and Novak Djokovic; Olympic track stars Sha’Carri Richardson, Faith Kipyegon and Shericka Jackson are shortlisted alongside Iga Swiatek, Mikaela Shiffrin and Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí in the category of Sportswoman of the Year. The six Nominees for Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability will also be at the awards in the Spanish capital. They include New Zealand cyclist Nicole Murray, para swimmers Danylo Chufarov and Simone Barlaam, Hungarian para athlete Luca Ekler, German long jumper Markus Rehm and wheelchair tennis great Diede de Groot.No fewer than 15 Olympic and Paralympic gold medal winners will attend this year’s Awards – a precursor to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games - alongside world champions and record breakers from across the world of sport. While celebrating the greatest sporting successes of the year, the Laureus World Sports Awards also showcases the work of Laureus Sport for Good, which uses the power of sport to end violence, discrimination and inequality, showing how sport can change the world. Laureus supports more than 260 programmes in over 45 countries, working to transform society and improve the lives of young people. Since its inception in 2000, Laureus Sport for Good has used the power of sport to improve the lives of more than six-and-a-half million children and young adults.Source: Laureus

Paying tribute to the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

Please login to leave a comment

Paying tribute to the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

Please login to leave a comment

Login