Laureus World Sports Awards
Encyclopedia
The Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually to sportspeople who have been outstanding during the previous year. The Laureus World Sports Awards were established in 1999 by Founding Patrons Daimler and Richemont
and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz
, IWC Schaffhausen
and Vodafone
. The first gala was held on May 25, 2000 in Monte Carlo
.
The selection process has two stages. First, a Selection Panel of the world's leading sports editors, writers and broadcasters from over 80 countries votes to create a shortlist of six nominations in each category. The voting process is monitored by independent auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP. Then the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy vote by secret ballot to select the Award winners.
The Media Selection Panel:
There are two categories voted for by Specialist Panels:
Three other honours are selected by the Founding Patrons and the Academy. These are the
presented at the Laureus Academy's discretion to people who have made an outstanding contribution to society through sport. The Academy can, if it wishes, also bestow additional Awards.
Each winner receives a Laureus statuette exclusively produced by Cartier
. The universal nature of sport is celebrated by the representation of the five continents, which are engraved on the base. The statuettes are 30 cm high and weigh 2.5 kg. Each figure contains 670 g of solid silver with a 650 g gold finish base.
The 2007 gala was held on 2 April 2007 in Barcelona
, Spain. King Juan Carlos I of Spain
was the guest of honour. The 2008 awards were held on 18 February 2008 in the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Russia, attended by President Vladimir Putin
and hosted by Cuba Gooding, Jr.
The 2009 ceremony was cancelled by the Laureus Foundation and its partners due to the world economic crisis; the awards were presented to the winners individually at other events from May to June 2009
The 2010 ceremony was held at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi
on 10 March 2010, hosted by Kevin Spacey
.
The 2011 ceremony was held at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi
on February 7 2011, Hosted by Kevin Spacey
from countries across the globe. They are invited by the Laureus Foundation and nominate finalists in February each year.
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
Richemont
Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. is a Swiss luxury goods holding company founded in 1988 by the South African businessman Johann Rupert. Richemont categorizes its businesses into four areas: jewellery, watch making, writing instruments and other, which encompasses clothing and firearms. The...
and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
, IWC Schaffhausen
International Watch Company
International Watch Co, also known as IWC, is a high-end Swiss watch manufacturer located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. IWC is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH....
and Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
. The first gala was held on May 25, 2000 in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
.
The selection process has two stages. First, a Selection Panel of the world's leading sports editors, writers and broadcasters from over 80 countries votes to create a shortlist of six nominations in each category. The voting process is monitored by independent auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
LLP. Then the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy vote by secret ballot to select the Award winners.
The Media Selection Panel:
- Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
- Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
- Laureus World Team of the Year
- Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year
- Laureus World Comeback of the Year
There are two categories voted for by Specialist Panels:
- Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year, chosen by a panel of the world's leading alternative sports journalists, and
- Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability, which is overseen by the Executive Committee of the International Paralympic Committee.
Three other honours are selected by the Founding Patrons and the Academy. These are the
- Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award
- Laureus Sport for Good Award
- Laureus Spirit of Sport (since 2005)
presented at the Laureus Academy's discretion to people who have made an outstanding contribution to society through sport. The Academy can, if it wishes, also bestow additional Awards.
Each winner receives a Laureus statuette exclusively produced by Cartier
Cartier SA
Cartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier , is a French luxury jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous pieces including the "Bestiary" , the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder...
. The universal nature of sport is celebrated by the representation of the five continents, which are engraved on the base. The statuettes are 30 cm high and weigh 2.5 kg. Each figure contains 670 g of solid silver with a 650 g gold finish base.
The 2007 gala was held on 2 April 2007 in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain. King Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
was the guest of honour. The 2008 awards were held on 18 February 2008 in the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Russia, attended by President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
and hosted by Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Cuba M. Gooding, Jr. is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire, and his critically acclaimed performance as Tré Styles in John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz n the Hood.-Early life:Gooding was born...
The 2009 ceremony was cancelled by the Laureus Foundation and its partners due to the world economic crisis; the awards were presented to the winners individually at other events from May to June 2009
The 2010 ceremony was held at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
on 10 March 2010, hosted by Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
.
The 2011 ceremony was held at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
on February 7 2011, Hosted by Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
Winners by category
The list of nominees are compiled by a selection panel that consists of top sports media journalistsSports journalism
Sports journalism is a form of journalism that reports on sports topics and events.While the sports department within some newspapers has been mockingly called the toy department, because sports journalists do not concern themselves with the 'serious' topics covered by the news desk, sports...
from countries across the globe. They are invited by the Laureus Foundation and nominate finalists in February each year.
Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year
| Year | Sportsman | Sportswoman | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Sport | Name | Sport | |
| 2011 |  Rafael NadalRafael Nadal Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals... |
Tennis |  Lindsey Vonn |
Alpine Skiing |
| 2010 |  Usain BoltUsain Bolt The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay... |
Athletics | Serena Williams Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on... |
Tennis |
| 2009 | Usain Bolt Usain Bolt The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay... |
Athletics |  Yelena IsinbayevaYelena Isinbayeva Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is a Russian pole vaulter. She is twice an Olympic gold medalist , five-times a World Champion, and the current world record holder in the event... |
Athletics |
| 2008 |  Roger FedererRoger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
Tennis |  Justine Henin |
Tennis |
| 2007 | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
Tennis | Yelena Isinbayeva Yelena Isinbayeva Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is a Russian pole vaulter. She is twice an Olympic gold medalist , five-times a World Champion, and the current world record holder in the event... |
Athletics |
| 2006 | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
Tennis |  Janica KostelićJanica Kostelic Janica Kostelić is a retired alpine ski racer from Croatia. She is the only woman to win four gold medals in alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics , and the only woman to win three alpine skiing gold medals in one Olympics .... |
Alpine Skiing |
| 2005 | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
Tennis |  Kelly HolmesKelly Holmes Dame Kelly Holmes, DBE, MBE is a retired British middle distance athlete. She specialised in the 800 metres and 1500 metres events and won a gold medal for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens... |
Athletics |
| 2004 |  Michael SchumacherMichael Schumacher Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time... |
Formula One |  Annika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam Annika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer... |
Golf |
| 2003 | Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support... |
Cycling | Serena Williams Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on... |
Tennis |
| 2002 | Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time... |
Formula One | Jennifer Capriati Jennifer Capriati Jennifer Marie Capriati is a former world number one ranked professional tennis player, and the winner of three women's singles championships in Grand Slam tournaments. Capriati made her professional debut in 1990 at the age of 14 when she reached the finals of the hard court tournament in Boca... |
Tennis |
| 2001 | Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No... |
Golf |  Cathy FreemanCathy Freeman Catherine Astrid Salome "Cathy" Freeman, OAM is former Australian sprinter, who specialised in the 400 metres event. She became the Olympic champion for the women's 400 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics, at which she lit the Olympic Flame.Freeman was the first ever Aboriginal... |
Athletics |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No... |
Golf | Marion Jones Marion Jones Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA... This was later reversed after Jones admitted using performance-enchancing drugs. No replacement winner has yet been named. |
Athletics |
Team of the Year
| Year | Team of the Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Sport | |
| 2011 | Spain national football team Spain national football team The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque... |
Football |
| 2010 | Brawn Formula One Team Brawn GP Brawn GP Formula One Team, the trading name of Brawn GP Limited, was a Formula One motor racing team and constructor, created by a management buyout of Honda Racing F1 Team. It only competed in the 2009 Formula One World Championship, with drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. The team... |
Formula 1 |
| 2009 |  China Olympic TeamChina at the 2008 Summer Olympics China was the host nation of the 2008 Summer Olympics.China was represented by the Chinese Olympic Committee , and the team of selected athletes were officially known as Team China.... |
Olympics |
| 2008 |  South Africa national rugby union teamSouth Africa national rugby union team The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental... |
Rugby |
| 2007 |  Italy national football teamItaly national football team The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than... |
Football |
| 2006 |  Renault Formula One TeamRenault F1 Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking... |
Formula 1 |
| 2005 |  Greece national football teamGreece national football team The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos... |
Football |
| 2004 |  England national rugby union teamEngland national rugby union team The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in... |
Rugby |
| 2003 |  Brazil national football teamBrazil national football team The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the... |
Football |
| 2002 | Australian men's cricket team |
Cricket |
| 2001 | France national football team France national football team The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe... |
Football |
| 2000 | Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... |
Football |
Breakthrough of the Year
Prior to 2007, this award was called Newcomer of the Year- 2011: Martin KaymerMartin KaymerMartin Kaymer is a German professional golfer. He became the No. 1 ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings on 27 February 2011 after his runner-up finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship....
- Golf - 2010: Jenson ButtonJenson ButtonJenson Alexander Lyons Button MBE is a British Formula One driver currently signed to McLaren. He was the 2009 World Drivers' Champion.Button began karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the British...
- Formula One - 2009: Rebecca AdlingtonRebecca AdlingtonRebecca "Becky" Adlington, OBE, is an English and British freestyle swimmer. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 400 m and 800 m, breaking the 19 year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800 m final...
- Swimming - 2008: Lewis HamiltonLewis HamiltonLewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
- Formula One - 2007: Amélie MauresmoAmélie MauresmoAmélie Simone Mauresmo ; is a French former professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon....
- Tennis - 2006: Rafael NadalRafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
- Tennis - 2005: Liu XiangLiu XiangLiu Xiang is a Chinese 110 meter hurdler. Liu is an Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion. His 2004 Olympic gold medal was the first in a men's track and field event for China....
- Track and Field Athletics - 2004: Michelle WieMichelle WieMichelle Sung Wie is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie would also become the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and the youngest to qualify for a LPGA Tour event...
- Golf - 2003: Yao MingYao MingYao Ming is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association...
- Basketball - 2002:
Juan Pablo MontoyaJuan Pablo MontoyaJuan Pablo Montoya Roldán is a Colombian race car driver known internationally for participating and winning in Formula One and CART race competitions. He has enjoyed great success. Currently, he competes in NASCAR, driving the #42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint...
- Formula One - 2001: Marat SafinMarat SafinMarat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
- Tennis - 2000: Sergio GarcíaSergio GarcíaSergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
- Golf
Comeback of the Year
- 2011: Valentino RossiValentino RossiValentino Rossi, , is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – seven of which are in the premier class.Following his father, Graziano Rossi,...
- MotoGP - 2010: Kim ClijstersKim ClijstersKim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
- Tennis - 2009:
Vitali KlitschkoVitali KlitschkoVitaliy Volodymyrovych Klychko is a Ukrainian professional heavyweight boxer and the current WBC heavyweight champion. He is a leader of the political party Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform and a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Congress of the Council of Europe. He previously...
- Boxing - 2008: Paula RadcliffePaula RadcliffePaula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours...
- Running - 2007: Serena WilliamsSerena WilliamsSerena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
- Tennis - 2006: Martina HingisMartina HingisMartina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...
- Tennis - 2005: Alessandro ZanardiAlex ZanardiAlessandro "Alex" Zanardi is an Italian racing driver and paracyclist.He won two CART championship titles in North America during the late 1990s. He also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver...
- Motor Racing - 2004:
Hermann MaierHermann MaierHermann Maier is an Austrian former alpine ski racer. Maier ranks among the finest alpine ski racers in history, having won four overall World Cup titles , two Olympic gold medals , and three World Championship titles...
- Alpine Skiing - 2003: RonaldoRonaldoRonaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
- Football - 2002: Goran IvaniševićGoran IvaniševicGoran Ivanišević is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998. Ivanišević is famous...
- Tennis - 2001: Jennifer CapriatiJennifer CapriatiJennifer Marie Capriati is a former world number one ranked professional tennis player, and the winner of three women's singles championships in Grand Slam tournaments. Capriati made her professional debut in 1990 at the age of 14 when she reached the finals of the hard court tournament in Boca...
- Tennis - 2000: Lance ArmstrongLance ArmstrongLance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
- Cycling
Sportsperson with a Disability of the Year
- 2011: Verena BenteleVerena BenteleVerena Bentele is a blind German Paralympic biathlete and cross-country skier. She won her first Paralympic medals at the 1998 Winter Paralympics, followed by four gold medals at the 2002 Winter Paralympics, as well as two gold and one bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Paralympics At the 2010...
- Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing - 2010: Natalie du ToitNatalie du ToitNatalie du Toit is a South African swimmer. She is best known for the gold medals she won at the 2004 Paralympic Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. She was one of two Paralympians to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; the other being table tennis player Natalia Partyka...
- Swimming - 2009: Daniel DiasDaniel DiasDaniel de Faria Dias is a Brazilian swimmer.He has Laureus Award for Sportsperson with a Disability of the Year, winning in 2009....
- Swimming - 2008:
Esther VergeerEsther VergeerEsther Vergeer is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player. Combining singles and doubles, she has won 39 Grand Slams, 22 year-end championships and 5 Paralympics titles. Vergeer has been the world number one wheel chair tennis player since 1999. In singles, she has not been beaten since January 2003 and...
- Wheelchair Tennis - 2007: Martin BraxenthalerMartin BraxenthalerMartin Braxenthaler is a German monoskier and Paralympian. He has participated in alpine skiing at four Winter Paralympic Games, in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010...
- Skiing - 2006: Ernst van DykErnst van DykErnst Van Dyk is a South African wheelchair racer. He has won a record 9 wheelchair titles in the Boston Marathon. He is also the current world record holder for men's wheelchair marathon from his record-setting race in the 2004 Boston Marathon, which he completed in 1 hour, 18 minutes, 27 seconds...
- Wheelchair Racing - 2005:
Chantal PetitclercChantal PetitclercChantal Petitclerc, CC is a Canadian wheelchair racer.At the age of thirteen, she lost the use of both legs when a heavy barn door fell on her...
- Athletics - 2004: Earle ConnorEarle ConnorEarle Connor is a Canadian Paralympic amputee sprinter. Connor holds several athletics world records in the class of T42, or above-knee, amputee.-Early life:...
- Athletics - 2003: Michael MiltonMichael MiltonMichael John Milton, OAM is an Australian Winter Paralympic skier and cyclist. He lost a leg to bone cancer when he was nine years old...
- Alpine Skiing - 2002: Esther VergeerEsther VergeerEsther Vergeer is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player. Combining singles and doubles, she has won 39 Grand Slams, 22 year-end championships and 5 Paralympics titles. Vergeer has been the world number one wheel chair tennis player since 1999. In singles, she has not been beaten since January 2003 and...
- Wheelchair Tennis - 2001: Vinny Lauwers - Yachting
- 2000: Louise SauvageLouise SauvageAlix Louise Sauvage OAM is an Australian paralympic wheelchair racer.Sauvage is often regarded as the most renowned disabled sportswoman in Australia. She won two gold medals and a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic games in front of a home crowd...
- Athletics
Action Sportsperson of the Year
Prior to 2007, this award was called Alternative Sportsperson of the Year- 2011: Kelly SlaterKelly SlaterRobert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title...
- Surfing - 2010: Stephanie GilmoreStephanie GilmoreStephanie Louise Gilmore is an Australian professional surfer and four-time world champion on the Women's ASP World Tour . She was born in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia on 29 January 1988 and currently resides in Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia.Gilmore's life as a surfer began at...
- Surfing - 2009: Kelly SlaterKelly SlaterRobert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title...
- Surfing - 2008: Shaun WhiteShaun WhiteShaun Roger White is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He rides regular stance, twelve and negative three degrees on his board.-Early life:Shaun White is an Irish American...
- Snowboarding/Skateboarding - 2007: Kelly SlaterKelly SlaterRobert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title...
- Surfing - 2006: Angelo d'ArrigoAngelo d'ArrigoAngelo d'Arrigo was an Italian aviator, of French origin, who held a number of world records in the field of flight, principally with microlights and hang gliders, with or without motors. He has been referred to as the "Human Condor".D'Arrigo was born in Catania, Sicily...
- Aviation - 2005: Ellen MacArthurEllen MacArthurDame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE is an English sailor, up until 2009, from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in West Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. She is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman. On 7 February 2005 she broke the world record for the fastest solo...
- Yachting - 2004: Layne BeachleyLayne BeachleyLayne Beachley is a former professional surfer from Manly, Australia. She won the World Championship seven times.-Surfing career:At the age of 16 Beachley became a professional surfer. By the age of 20 she was ranked sixth in the world. Beachley became the Women's ASP World Champion in 1998, and...
- Surfing - 2003: Dean PotterDean PotterDean Potter is an American free climber, alpinist, BASE jumper, BASEliner, and highliner. He is noted for hard first ascents, free solo ascents, speed ascents, and enchainments in Yosemite and Patagonia....
- Speed Climbing - 2002: Bob Burnquist - Skateboarding
- 2001: Mike HornMike HornMike Horn is a South-African born Swiss explorer and adventurer. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa he currently resides in Château d'Oex, Switzerland.Mike Horn became famous in 2000 after completing a solo journey around the equator without motor transport...
- Sailing - 2000: Shaun PalmerShaun PalmerShaun Palmer is an American professional snowboarder, skier, mountain biker, and motocross rider. "Palm Daddy" is known as one of the forefathers of extreme sports.-Early life:...
- Winter X GamesX GamesThe X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island....
Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2011: Zinedine ZidaneZinedine ZidaneZinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
- football - 2010:
Nawal El MoutawakelNawal El MoutawakelNawal El Moutawakel is a Moroccan hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 m hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming the first female Muslim born on the continent of Africa to become an Olympic champion. She was also the first Moroccan and the first woman from a Muslim...
- track and field - 2009: No award
- 2008: Sergey Bubka - track and field
- 2007: Franz BeckenbauerFranz BeckenbauerFranz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
- football - 2006: Johan CruyffJohan CruyffHendrik Johannes Cruijff OON , known as Johan Cruyff, is a retired Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team as well as a member of the AFC Ajax board of directors. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with...
- football - 2005: No award
- 2004:
Arne NaessArne Næss Jr.Arne Næss, Jr. was a Norwegian businessman and mountaineer. He had been married to Diana Ross since 1985, by whom he had two sons, but the couple was long separated at the time of his sudden death.-Biography:...
- mountaineering - 2003: Gary PlayerGary PlayerGary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
- golf - 2002:
Sir Peter BlakePeter Blake (yachtsman)Sir Peter James Blake, KBE was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Jules Verne Trophy – setting the fastest time around the world of 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds on catamaran Enza, and led his country to successive victories in the America’s Cup...
- yachting - 2001: Sir Steve Redgrave - rowing
- 2000: PeléPeléHowever, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
- football
Spirit of Sport Award
- 2011:
European Ryder Cup Team - Golf - 2008: Dick PoundDick PoundRichard William Duncan Pound, is a Canadian lawyer, partner of the law firm Stikeman Elliott, the former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency based in Montreal, and former chancellor of McGill University...
- World Anti-Doping AgencyWorld Anti-Doping AgencyThe World Anti-Doping Agency , , is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee . It was set up on November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a result of what was called the "Declaration of Lausanne", to promote, coordinate and...
Chairman (retired) - 2007: FC BarcelonaFC BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
- football - 2006: Valentino RossiValentino RossiValentino Rossi, , is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – seven of which are in the premier class.Following his father, Graziano Rossi,...
- motorcycling - 2005: Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
- baseball
Sport for Good Award
- 2011:
May El-Khalil - Founder of Beirut Marathon - 2010: Dikembe Mutumbo - Charitable Work in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- 2009 No Award
- 2008: Brendan Tuohey and Sean Tuohey - co-Founders of PeacePlayers International project
- 2007: Luke Dowdney - creator of Fight for Peace project in Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
- 2006: Jürgen Griesbeck - streetfootballworld
- 2005: Gerry StoreyGerry StoreyGerry Storey MBE is a boxing trainer who has coached the Irish Olympic Boxing Team on four occasions.Storey is the head coach of the Holy Family Boxing Club in north Belfast. Storey and the club were featured in the BBC documentary Fight Town in 2003, and the club also appeared in the Daniel...
- boxing trainer - 2004:
Indian men's cricket teamIndian cricket teamThe Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
,
Pakistan men's cricket teamPakistani cricket teamThe Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
/ Mathare Youth Sport Association (MYSA) - 2003: / Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
(USA (originally Austrian)) - bodybuilding - 2002: Sir Peter BlakePeter Blake (yachtsman)Sir Peter James Blake, KBE was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Jules Verne Trophy – setting the fastest time around the world of 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds on catamaran Enza, and led his country to successive victories in the America’s Cup...
- yachting - 2001:
Kip Keino - athletics - 2000: Eunice Kennedy ShriverEunice Kennedy ShriverEunice Kennedy Shriver, DSG a member of the Kennedy family, sister to President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Edward Kennedy, was the founder in 1962 of Camp Shriver, and in 1968, the Special Olympics...
Awards by year
2011| Category | Winner | Discipline | |
| Sportsman of the Year | Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals... |
Tennis | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Lindsey Vonn | Skiing | |
| Team of the Year | Spain National Football Team Spain national football team The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque... |
Football | |
| Comeback of the Year | Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi, , is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – seven of which are in the premier class.Following his father, Graziano Rossi,... |
MotoGP | |
| Sportsperson with a Disability | Verena Bentele Verena Bentele Verena Bentele is a blind German Paralympic biathlete and cross-country skier. She won her first Paralympic medals at the 1998 Winter Paralympics, followed by four gold medals at the 2002 Winter Paralympics, as well as two gold and one bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Paralympics At the 2010... |
Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing | |
| Breakthrough of the Year | Martin Kaymer Martin Kaymer Martin Kaymer is a German professional golfer. He became the No. 1 ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings on 27 February 2011 after his runner-up finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.... |
Golf | |
| Action Sportsperson | Kelly Slater Kelly Slater Robert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title... |
Surfing | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship... |
Football | |
| Spirit of Sport Award | European Ryder Cup Team |  Europe |
Golf |
| Sports for Good Award | May El-Khalil | Founder of Beirut Marathon | |
2010
| Category | Winner | Discipline | |
| Sportsman of the Year | Usain Bolt Usain Bolt The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay... |
Athletics | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Serena Williams Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on... |
Tennis | |
| Team of the Year | Brawn Formula 1 Team Brawn GP Brawn GP Formula One Team, the trading name of Brawn GP Limited, was a Formula One motor racing team and constructor, created by a management buyout of Honda Racing F1 Team. It only competed in the 2009 Formula One World Championship, with drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. The team... |
Formula One | |
| Comeback of the Year | Kim Clijsters Kim Clijsters Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles.... |
Tennis | |
| Sportsperson with a Disability | Natalie du Toit Natalie du Toit Natalie du Toit is a South African swimmer. She is best known for the gold medals she won at the 2004 Paralympic Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. She was one of two Paralympians to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; the other being table tennis player Natalia Partyka... |
Swimming | |
| Breakthrough of the Year | Jenson Button Jenson Button Jenson Alexander Lyons Button MBE is a British Formula One driver currently signed to McLaren. He was the 2009 World Drivers' Champion.Button began karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the British... |
Formula One | |
| Action Sportsperson | Stephanie Gilmore Stephanie Gilmore Stephanie Louise Gilmore is an Australian professional surfer and four-time world champion on the Women's ASP World Tour . She was born in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia on 29 January 1988 and currently resides in Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia.Gilmore's life as a surfer began at... |
Surfing | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Nawal El Moutawakel Nawal El Moutawakel Nawal El Moutawakel is a Moroccan hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 m hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming the first female Muslim born on the continent of Africa to become an Olympic champion. She was also the first Moroccan and the first woman from a Muslim... |
Track and Field | |
| Spirit of Sport Award | Dikembe Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo , commonly referred to as Dikembe Mutombo, is a retired Congolese American professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the NBA... |
Basketball | |
| Sports for Good Award | |||
2009
| Category | Winner | Discipline | |
| Sportsman of the Year | Usain Bolt Usain Bolt The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay... |
Athletics | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Yelena Isinbayeva Yelena Isinbayeva Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is a Russian pole vaulter. She is twice an Olympic gold medalist , five-times a World Champion, and the current world record holder in the event... |
Athletics | |
| Team of the Year | China Olympic Team China at the 2008 Summer Olympics China was the host nation of the 2008 Summer Olympics.China was represented by the Chinese Olympic Committee , and the team of selected athletes were officially known as Team China.... |
Olympics | |
| Comeback of the Year | Vitali Klitschko Vitali Klitschko Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Klychko is a Ukrainian professional heavyweight boxer and the current WBC heavyweight champion. He is a leader of the political party Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform and a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Congress of the Council of Europe. He previously... |
Boxing | |
| Sportsperson with a Disability | Daniel Dias Daniel Dias Daniel de Faria Dias is a Brazilian swimmer.He has Laureus Award for Sportsperson with a Disability of the Year, winning in 2009.... |
Swimming | |
| Breakthrough of the Year | Rebecca Adlington Rebecca Adlington Rebecca "Becky" Adlington, OBE, is an English and British freestyle swimmer. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 400 m and 800 m, breaking the 19 year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800 m final... |
Swimming | |
| Action Sportsperson | Kelly Slater Kelly Slater Robert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title... |
Surfing | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | no award | ||
| Spirit of Sport Award | |||
| Sports for Good Award | |||
2008
| Category | Winner | Discipline | |
| Sportsman of the Year | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
Tennis | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Justine Henin | Tennis | |
| Team of the Year | South African rugby team South Africa national rugby union team The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental... |
Rugby | |
| Comeback of the Year | Paula Radcliffe Paula Radcliffe Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours... |
Athletics | |
| Sportsperson with a Disability | Esther Vergeer Esther Vergeer Esther Vergeer is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player. Combining singles and doubles, she has won 39 Grand Slams, 22 year-end championships and 5 Paralympics titles. Vergeer has been the world number one wheel chair tennis player since 1999. In singles, she has not been beaten since January 2003 and... |
Tennis | |
| Breakthrough of the Year | Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire... |
Formula One | |
| Action Sportsperson | Shaun White Shaun White Shaun Roger White is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He rides regular stance, twelve and negative three degrees on his board.-Early life:Shaun White is an Irish American... |
Snowboarding/Skateboarding | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Sergey Bubka | Athletics | |
| Spirit of Sport Award | Dick Pound Dick Pound Richard William Duncan Pound, is a Canadian lawyer, partner of the law firm Stikeman Elliott, the former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency based in Montreal, and former chancellor of McGill University... |
World Anti-Doping Agency | |
| Sports for Good Award | Brendan Tuohy and Sean Tuohy Sean Tuohy Sean Tuohy is an American sports commentator and restaurateur. He played college basketball at the University of Mississippi in the early 1980s, and is known for being the all-time assists leader in the Southeastern Conference .... |
Basketball | |
2007
| Category | Winner | Discipline | |
| Sportsman of the Year | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
Tennis | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Yelena Isinbayeva Yelena Isinbayeva Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is a Russian pole vaulter. She is twice an Olympic gold medalist , five-times a World Champion, and the current world record holder in the event... |
Athletics | |
| Team of the Year | Italy national football team Italy national football team The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than... |
Football | |
| Comeback of the Year | Serena Williams Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on... |
Tennis | |
| Sportsperson with a Disability | Martin Braxenthaler Martin Braxenthaler Martin Braxenthaler is a German monoskier and Paralympian. He has participated in alpine skiing at four Winter Paralympic Games, in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010... |
Skiing | |
| Breakthrough of the Year | Amélie Mauresmo Amélie Mauresmo Amélie Simone Mauresmo ; is a French former professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon.... |
Tennis | |
| Action Sportsperson | Kelly Slater Kelly Slater Robert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title... |
Surfing | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Franz Beckenbauer Franz Beckenbauer Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch... |
Football | |
| Spirit of Sport Award | FC Barcelona FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
Football | |
| Sports for Good Award | Luke Dowdney | Boxing | |
2006
| Category | Winner | Discipline | |
| Sportsman of the Year | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
Tennis | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Janica Kostelić Janica Kostelic Janica Kostelić is a retired alpine ski racer from Croatia. She is the only woman to win four gold medals in alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics , and the only woman to win three alpine skiing gold medals in one Olympics .... |
Alpine Skiing | |
| Team of the Year | Renault F1 Team Renault F1 Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking... |
Formula 1 Racing | |
| Newcomer of the Year | Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals... |
Tennis | |
| Comeback of the Year | Martina Hingis Martina Hingis Martina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles... |
Tennis | |
| Sportsperson with a Disability | Ernst van Dyk Ernst van Dyk Ernst Van Dyk is a South African wheelchair racer. He has won a record 9 wheelchair titles in the Boston Marathon. He is also the current world record holder for men's wheelchair marathon from his record-setting race in the 2004 Boston Marathon, which he completed in 1 hour, 18 minutes, 27 seconds... |
Wheelchair Racing | |
| Alternative Sportsperson | Angelo d'Arrigo Angelo d'Arrigo Angelo d'Arrigo was an Italian aviator, of French origin, who held a number of world records in the field of flight, principally with microlights and hang gliders, with or without motors. He has been referred to as the "Human Condor".D'Arrigo was born in Catania, Sicily... |
Aviation | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Johan Cruyff Johan Cruyff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff OON , known as Johan Cruyff, is a retired Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team as well as a member of the AFC Ajax board of directors. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with... |
Football | |
| Spirit of Sport Award | Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi, , is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – seven of which are in the premier class.Following his father, Graziano Rossi,... |
Motorcycling | |
| Sports for Good Award | Jürgen Griesbeck | Streetworldfootball | |
2005
| Category | Winner | Discipline | |
| Sportsman of the Year | Roger Federer Roger Federer Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles... |
Tennis | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Kelly Holmes Kelly Holmes Dame Kelly Holmes, DBE, MBE is a retired British middle distance athlete. She specialised in the 800 metres and 1500 metres events and won a gold medal for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens... |
Athletics | |
| Team of the Year | Greece national football team Greece national football team The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos... |
Football | |
| Newcomer of the Year | Liu Xiang Liu Xiang Liu Xiang is a Chinese 110 meter hurdler. Liu is an Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion. His 2004 Olympic gold medal was the first in a men's track and field event for China.... |
Athletics | |
| Comeback of the Year | Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi Alex Zanardi Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi is an Italian racing driver and paracyclist.He won two CART championship titles in North America during the late 1990s. He also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver... |
Car Racing | |
| Sportsperson with a Disability | Chantal Petitclerc Chantal Petitclerc Chantal Petitclerc, CC is a Canadian wheelchair racer.At the age of thirteen, she lost the use of both legs when a heavy barn door fell on her... |
Athletics | |
| Alternative Sportsperson | Ellen MacArthur Ellen MacArthur Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE is an English sailor, up until 2009, from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in West Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. She is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman. On 7 February 2005 she broke the world record for the fastest solo... |
Yachting | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | No award | ||
| Spirit of Sport Award | Boston Red Sox Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"... |
Baseball | |
| Sports for Good Award | Gerry Storey Gerry Storey Gerry Storey MBE is a boxing trainer who has coached the Irish Olympic Boxing Team on four occasions.Storey is the head coach of the Holy Family Boxing Club in north Belfast. Storey and the club were featured in the BBC documentary Fight Town in 2003, and the club also appeared in the Daniel... |
Boxing (trainer) | |
2004
| Category | Winner | Discipline | |
| Sportsman of the Year | Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time... |
Motor Racing | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Annika Sörenstam Annika Sörenstam Annika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer... |
Golf | |
| Team of the Year | England rugby union team England national rugby union team The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in... |
Rugby | |
| Newcomer of the Year | Michelle Wie Michelle Wie Michelle Sung Wie is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie would also become the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and the youngest to qualify for a LPGA Tour event... |
Golf | |
| Comeback of the Year | Hermann Maier Hermann Maier Hermann Maier is an Austrian former alpine ski racer. Maier ranks among the finest alpine ski racers in history, having won four overall World Cup titles , two Olympic gold medals , and three World Championship titles... |
Alpine Skiing | |
| Sportsperson with a Disability | Earle Connor Earle Connor Earle Connor is a Canadian Paralympic amputee sprinter. Connor holds several athletics world records in the class of T42, or above-knee, amputee.-Early life:... |
Track and Field Athletics | |
| Alternative Sportsperson | Layne Beachley Layne Beachley Layne Beachley is a former professional surfer from Manly, Australia. She won the World Championship seven times.-Surfing career:At the age of 16 Beachley became a professional surfer. By the age of 20 she was ranked sixth in the world. Beachley became the Women's ASP World Champion in 1998, and... |
Surfing | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Arne Næss Jr. Arne Næss Jr. Arne Næss, Jr. was a Norwegian businessman and mountaineer. He had been married to Diana Ross since 1985, by whom he had two sons, but the couple was long separated at the time of his sudden death.-Biography:... |
Mountaineer | |
| Sports for Good Award |
|
Cricket | |
2003
| Category | Winner | Discipline | |
| Sportsman of the Year | Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support... |
Cycling | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Serena Williams Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on... |
Tennis | |
| Team of the Year | Brazil national football team Brazil national football team The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the... |
Football | |
| Newcomer of the Year | Yao Ming Yao Ming Yao Ming is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association... |
Basketball | |
| Comeback of the Year | Ronaldo | Football | |
| Sportsperson with a Disability | Michael Milton Michael Milton Michael John Milton, OAM is an Australian Winter Paralympic skier and cyclist. He lost a leg to bone cancer when he was nine years old... |
Alpine Skiing | |
| Alternative Sportsperson | Dean Potter Dean Potter Dean Potter is an American free climber, alpinist, BASE jumper, BASEliner, and highliner. He is noted for hard first ascents, free solo ascents, speed ascents, and enchainments in Yosemite and Patagonia.... |
Speed Climbing | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Gary Player Gary Player Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six... |
Golf | |
2002
| Category | Winner | Discipline | |
| Sportsman of the Year | Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time... |
Motor Racing | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Jennifer Capriati Jennifer Capriati Jennifer Marie Capriati is a former world number one ranked professional tennis player, and the winner of three women's singles championships in Grand Slam tournaments. Capriati made her professional debut in 1990 at the age of 14 when she reached the finals of the hard court tournament in Boca... |
Tennis | |
| Team of the Year | Australian men's cricket team | Cricket | |
| Newcomer of the Year | Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán is a Colombian race car driver known internationally for participating and winning in Formula One and CART race competitions. He has enjoyed great success. Currently, he competes in NASCAR, driving the #42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint... |
Motor Racing | |
| Comeback of the Year | Goran Ivanišević Goran Ivaniševic Goran Ivanišević is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998. Ivanišević is famous... |
Tennis | |
| Sportsperson with a Disability | Esther Vergeer Esther Vergeer Esther Vergeer is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player. Combining singles and doubles, she has won 39 Grand Slams, 22 year-end championships and 5 Paralympics titles. Vergeer has been the world number one wheel chair tennis player since 1999. In singles, she has not been beaten since January 2003 and... |
Wheelchair Tennis | |
| Alternative Sportsperson | Bob Burnquist | Skateboarding | |
| Sport for Good Award | Sir Peter Blake Peter Blake (yachtsman) Sir Peter James Blake, KBE was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Jules Verne Trophy – setting the fastest time around the world of 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds on catamaran Enza, and led his country to successive victories in the America’s Cup... |
Yachting | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Sir Peter Blake Peter Blake (yachtsman) Sir Peter James Blake, KBE was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Jules Verne Trophy – setting the fastest time around the world of 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds on catamaran Enza, and led his country to successive victories in the America’s Cup... |
Yachting | |
2001
| Category | Winner | Discipline | |
| Sportsman of the Year | Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No... |
Golf | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Cathy Freeman Cathy Freeman Catherine Astrid Salome "Cathy" Freeman, OAM is former Australian sprinter, who specialised in the 400 metres event. She became the Olympic champion for the women's 400 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics, at which she lit the Olympic Flame.Freeman was the first ever Aboriginal... |
Athletics | |
| Team of the Year | France national football team France national football team The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe... |
Football | |
| Newcomer of the Year | Marat Safin Marat Safin Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken... |
Tennis | |
| Comeback of the Year | Jennifer Capriati Jennifer Capriati Jennifer Marie Capriati is a former world number one ranked professional tennis player, and the winner of three women's singles championships in Grand Slam tournaments. Capriati made her professional debut in 1990 at the age of 14 when she reached the finals of the hard court tournament in Boca... |
Tennis | |
| Sportsperson with a Disability | Vinny Lauwers | Paraplegic Sailing | |
| Alternative Sportsperson | Mike Horn Mike Horn Mike Horn is a South-African born Swiss explorer and adventurer. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa he currently resides in Château d'Oex, Switzerland.Mike Horn became famous in 2000 after completing a solo journey around the equator without motor transport... |
Equator Circumnavigation | |
| Sport for Good Award | Kip Keino | Athletics | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Sir Steve Redgrave | Rowing | |
2000
| Category | Winner | Discipline | |
| Sportsman of the Year | Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No... |
Golf | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Marion Jones Marion Jones Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA... |
Athletics | |
| Team of the Year | Manchester United | Football | |
| Newcomer of the Year | Sergio García Sergio García Sergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings... |
Golf | |
| Comeback of the Year | Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support... |
Cycling | |
| Sportsperson with a Disability | Louise Sauvage Louise Sauvage Alix Louise Sauvage OAM is an Australian paralympic wheelchair racer.Sauvage is often regarded as the most renowned disabled sportswoman in Australia. She won two gold medals and a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic games in front of a home crowd... |
Wheelchair Athletics | |
| Alternative Sportsperson | Shaun Palmer Shaun Palmer Shaun Palmer is an American professional snowboarder, skier, mountain biker, and motocross rider. "Palm Daddy" is known as one of the forefathers of extreme sports.-Early life:... |
Multi-discipline | |
| Sport for Good Award | Eunice Kennedy Shriver Eunice Kennedy Shriver Eunice Kennedy Shriver, DSG a member of the Kennedy family, sister to President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Edward Kennedy, was the founder in 1962 of Camp Shriver, and in 1968, the Special Olympics... |
||
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Pelé Pelé However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time... |
Football | |
Active
The Academy was originally 40-strong, and as of early 2011, currently has 48 members. Those marked with an asterisk (*) after their names joined after the Academy was originally founded.- Giacomo AgostiniGiacomo Agostini-Non-riding career:Like John Surtees and Mike Hailwood before him, Agostini raced in Formula One cars. He competed in non-championship Formula One races in 1978. He competed in the European Formula 2 series in a Chevron B42-BMW and British Aurora Formula 1 with his own team and a Williams FW06...
(Italy) - motorcycling - Marcus AllenMarcus AllenMarcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football player and, until recently, was affiliated with CBS as a game analyst. As a professional, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards during his career for both the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1982 to 1997...
(USA) - American football - Franz BeckenbauerFranz BeckenbauerFranz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
(Germany) - football - Boris BeckerBoris BeckerBoris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17...
(Germany) - tennis - Sir Ian Botham (England) - cricket
- Sergey Bubka (Soviet Union/Ukraine) - athletics
- Sir Bobby Charlton (England) - football
- Sebastian Coe (England) - athletics
- Nadia ComăneciNadia ComaneciNadia Elena Comăneci is a Romanian gymnast, winner of three Olympic gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the first female gymnast ever to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event. She is also the winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer...
(Romania) - gymnastics - Deng YapingDeng YapingDeng Yaping is a Chinese table tennis player, who won six world championships and four Olympic championships between 1989 and 1997...
(China) - table tennis - Mick Doohan (Australia) - motorcycling
- Marcel DesaillyMarcel DesaillyMarcel Desailly is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...
* (France) - football - Kapil DevKapil DevKapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj , better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup...
* (India) - cricket - David DouilletDavid DouilletDavid Douillet is a French judoka and politician.Douillet was born in the city of Rouen. Standing at 1.90 meters and weighing 125 kilograms , he won the judo heavyweight gold medals in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games in Atlanta and Sydney. He also gained four world titles and a European crown...
(France) - judo - Emerson FittipaldiEmerson FittipaldiEmerson Fittipaldi |São Paulo]], Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who throughout a long and successful career won the Indianapolis 500 twice and championships in both Formula One and CART.-Early and personal life:...
(Brazil) - motor racing - Sean FitzpatrickSean FitzpatrickSean Fitzpatrick MNZM is a former rugby union footballer who represented New Zealand, and is widely regarded as one of the finest players ever to come from that country. He is also the son of former player Brian Fitzpatrick....
(New Zealand) - rugby union - Dawn FraserDawn FraserDawn Fraser AO, MBE is an Australian champion swimmer. She is one of only two swimmers to win the same Olympic event three times – in her case the 100 meters freestyle....
(Australia) - swimming - Cathy FreemanCathy FreemanCatherine Astrid Salome "Cathy" Freeman, OAM is former Australian sprinter, who specialised in the 400 metres event. She became the Olympic champion for the women's 400 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics, at which she lit the Olympic Flame.Freeman was the first ever Aboriginal...
* (Australia) - athletics - Tanni Grey-ThompsonTanni Grey-ThompsonCarys Davina "Tanni" Grey-Thompson, Baroness Grey-Thompson, DBE is a Welsh athlete and TV presenter.Grey-Thompson was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. She is considered to be one of the most successful disabled athletes in the UK...
(Great Britain) - paralympic athletics - Marvin HaglerMarvin HaglerMarvelous Marvin Hagler , is a former professional boxer who was undisputed world middleweight champion between 1980 and 1987. Hagler holds the distinction of having the highest KO% of all middleweight champions at 78%...
(USA) - boxing - Mika HäkkinenMika HäkkinenMika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...
* (Finland) - motor racing - Tony HawkTony HawkAnthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
(USA) - skateboarding - Mike HornMike HornMike Horn is a South-African born Swiss explorer and adventurer. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa he currently resides in Château d'Oex, Switzerland.Mike Horn became famous in 2000 after completing a solo journey around the equator without motor transport...
* (South Africa) - adventurer-explorer
- Miguel IndurainMiguel IndurainMiguel Ángel Indurain Larraya is a retired Spanish road racing cyclist. He won five consecutive Tour de Frances from 1991 and 1995, the first to do so, and the fourth athlete to win five times. He won the Giro d'Italia twice, becoming one of only seven people in history to achieve the Giro Tour...
(Spain) - cycling - Michael JohnsonMichael Johnson (athlete)Michael Duane Johnson is a retired American sprinter. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championship gold medals. Johnson currently holds the world and Olympic records in the 400 m and 4 x 400 meters relay. He formerly held the world and Olympic record in the 200 m, and the world...
(USA) - athletics - Kip KeinoKipchoge KeinoKipchoge Keino , chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee , is a retired Kenyan track and field athlete and two-time Olympic gold medalist...
(Kenya) - athletics - Franz KlammerFranz KlammerFranz Klammer is a former champion alpine ski racer. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons . He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel in dramatic fashion...
(Austria) - skiing - Dan MarinoDan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
(USA) - American football - John McEnroeJohn McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
(USA) - tennis - Edwin MosesEdwin MosesEdwin Corley Moses is an American track and field athlete who won gold medals in the 400 metre hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. Between 1977 and 1987, Moses won 107 consecutive finals and set the world record in his event four times...
(USA) - athletics (current chairman) - Nawal El MoutawakelNawal El MoutawakelNawal El Moutawakel is a Moroccan hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 m hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming the first female Muslim born on the continent of Africa to become an Olympic champion. She was also the first Moroccan and the first woman from a Muslim...
(Morocco) - athletics - Robby NaishRobby NaishRobert Staunton Naish is one of the first athletes to have gained long-lasting international fame in the sport of windsurfing. At a young age, his father, competitive surfer and surfboard shaper Rick Naish, moved the family from California to Kailua, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu...
(USA) - windsurfing & kiteboarding - Ilie NăstaseIlie NastaseIlie Nastase is a Romanian former professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 tennis player between 1973 and 1974 . He is one of the five players in history to win more than 100 ATP professional titles . He was inducted into the...
(Romania) - tennis - Martina Navratilova (USA) - tennis
- Alexei NemovAlexei NemovAlexei Yurievich Nemov is a gymnast from Russia and one of the most medaled gymnasts, male or female, of all time. He has won 12 Olympic medals, including more Olympic bronze medals than any other athlete. Nemov's sense of showmanship and his difficult routines have won him many fans...
* (Russia) - gymnastics - Jack NicklausJack NicklausJack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
(USA) - golf - Gary PlayerGary PlayerGary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
(South Africa) - golf - Morné du PlessisMorne du PlessisMorne du Plessis is a former South African rugby union player. He is often described as one of the Springboks' most successful captains. Playing at number 8, his national career spanned ten years, five of which he was captain...
(South Africa) - rugby union - Hugo PortaHugo PortaHugo Porta is a former Argentine Rugby Union footballer, an inductee of both the International Rugby Hall of Fame and IRB Hall of Fame, and one of the best fly-halves the sport has seen...
(Argentina) - rugby union - Steven Redgrave (United Kingdom) - Rowing
- Viv RichardsViv RichardsSir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...
(West Indies) - cricket - Monica SelesMonica SelesMonica Seles is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was born in Novi Sad, Serbia, former Yugoslavia to Hungarian parents. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994 and also received Hungarian citizenship in June 2007...
* (USA) - tennis - Mark SpitzMark SpitzMark Andrew Spitz is a retired American swimmer. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, an achievement only surpassed by Michael Phelps who won eight golds at the 2008 Olympics....
(USA) - swimming - Daley ThompsonDaley ThompsonFrancis Morgan Ayodélé "Daley" Thompson CBE , is a former decathlete from England. He won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and broke the world record for the event four times....
(Great Britain) - athletics - Alberto TombaAlberto TombaAlberto Tomba is an Italian retired alpine ski racer. He was the dominant technical skier in the late 1980s and 1990s. Tomba won three Olympic gold medals, two World Championships, and nine World Cup season titles; four in slalom, four in giant slalom, and one overall title...
(Italy) - skiing - Steve WaughSteve WaughStephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
* (Australia) - cricket - Katarina WittKatarina WittKatarina Witt is a German figure skater and model. In Germany she was commonly called "Kati" in the past, but today her full name is used more often....
(Germany) - figure skating
Deceased
- Seve Ballesteros (Spain) - golf
- Sir Peter BlakePeter Blake (yachtsman)Sir Peter James Blake, KBE was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Jules Verne Trophy – setting the fastest time around the world of 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds on catamaran Enza, and led his country to successive victories in the America’s Cup...
(New Zealand) - yachting - Bill Shoemaker (USA) - horse racing
Past members
- PeléPeléHowever, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
(Brazil) - football. Retired from the Academy in 2007. - Michael JordanMichael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
(USA) - basketball - Yasuhiro YamashitaYasuhiro Yamashitais one of the most successful judo competitors of all time. He currently works as an instructor or advisor for numerous organizations, including Tokai University, the International Judo Federation, and the...
(Japan) - judo - Greg LeMondGreg LeMondGregory James LeMond is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States and a three-time winner of the Tour de France. He was born in Lakewood, California and raised in Reno, Nevada....
(USA) - cycling - Jackie Joyner Kersee (USA) - athletics
- Sugar Ray LeonardSugar Ray LeonardSugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...
(USA) - boxing - Niki LaudaNiki LaudaAndreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver and three-time F1 World Champion. More recently an aviation entrepreneur, he has founded and run two airlines and was manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team for two years.- Early years in racing :Born in Vienna,...
(Austria) - motor racing - Michel PlatiniMichel PlatiniMichel François Platini is a former French football player, manager and current president of UEFA. Platini was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and voted the best player. He participated in the 1978, 1982...
(France) - football
See also
- Laureus Sportsman of the YearLaureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year-List of winners and nominees:-Trivia:-See also:*Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year*L'Équipe Champion of Champions Award*Athlete of the Year-References:...
- Laureus Sportswoman of the YearLaureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the YearList of winners and nominees of the Laureus World Sports Awards: Sportswoman of the Year-List of winners and nominees:-Statistics:Nominations*By sport:...
- Laureus Team of the YearLaureus World Sports Award for Team of the YearList of winners and nominees of the Laureus World Sports Awards: Team of the Year. Winning team is bolded and shaded in gray.-List of winners and nominees:-See also:*Sportsman of the Year*Sportswoman of the Year*Breakthrough of the Year...
- Laureus Breakthrough of the Year
- Laureus Comeback of the YearLaureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the YearList of winners and nominees of the Laureus World Sports Awards: Comeback of the Year.-List of winners and nominees:-See also:*Sportsman of the Year*Sportswoman of the Year*Team of the Year*Breakthrough of the Year...
- Laureus Sportsperson of the Year with a DisabilityLaureus World Sports Award for Sportsperson of the Year with a DisabilityList of winners and nominees of the Laureus World Sports Awards: Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability.-List of winners and nominees:-See also:*Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award*Best Male Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award...
- Laureus Action Sportsperson of the YearLaureus World Sports Award for Action Sportsperson of the YearList of winners and nominees of the Laureus World Sports Awards: Action Sportsperson of the Year.-List of winners and nominees:-See also:*Sportsman of the Year*Sportswoman of the Year*Team of the Year*Breakthrough of the Year*Comeback of the Year...
- Athlete of the YearAthlete of the YearAthlete of the Year is an award given by various sports organizations for the athlete whom they have determined to be deserving of such recognition....