Madrid [Spain], February 27 (ANI): The nominations for the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards have been announced, marking the countdown to the most prestigious awards ceremony in sport on April 22. The Laureus is recognised as the Ultimate Global Athletes Award and remains the gold standard for the stars of world sport, who each year hope to see their names added to a list of winners that includes all-time greats.
The nominations were announced on Monday at the historic Casa de Correos in Madrid, attended by representatives of Awards Host Partners, including the President of the Madrid Region, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, and the Mayor of Madrid, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida. Also in attendance at the announcement were global sporting legends and Laureus Academy Members Luis Figo, Ruud Gullit, Nawal El Moutawakel and Alessandro Del Piero.
Six Nominees have been selected in each of the traditional seven Award categories by the 1,300 members of the Laureus Global Media Panel and, in the case of the Award for Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability, a vote by the International Paralympic Committee. Alongside the elite categories, the Laureus Sport for Good Award will go to a programme that reflects the inspirational words of Laureus’ first Patron, Nelson Mandela, who said that “Sport had the power to change the world”.
But what makes these awards unique is the final stage of the judging process: a vote by the 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy – Olympic champions, world-record breakers, athletes who redefined their sports and who now make up the ultimate jury on sporting greatness.
Following his show-stopping win in Paris last year, Lionel Messi is again nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, after a year in which he won a record eighth Ballon d’Or and led Inter Miami CF to victory in the Leagues Cup – his 44th trophy, another record.
Novak Djokovic, a four-time winner of this Award, has won 24 major titles, matching Margaret Court for the all-time mark in tennis. He was also nominated this year as well.
Max Verstappen won this Award in 2022 and last year set records with ten consecutive Grand Prix wins and 19 victories in one season as he became the fifth Formula One driver to record a hat-trick of championship wins.
Another nominee, Mondo Duplantis raised his own pole vault world record on two further occasions, either side of a second world title.
Four-time Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, Novak Djokovic said: “I am thrilled to be nominated once again for Laureus World Sportsman of the Year. I have won this Award four times, and each one has been very special and unforgettable in its own way. It’s an honour unlike any other because it’s the Laureus Academy who makes the decision, and they know what it’s like to reach the summit of their sport, and what it takes to stay there. This year, as ever, I’m overwhelmed by the quality of the athletes I am nominated alongside. This is what makes the Laureus Awards so special for us, and why we want to win as much as we do when we are competing.”
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola said: “We are really proud for our club to have been nominated for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award. Of course, we are nominated because we won so much last season and the credit must go to all our players, all our staff who worked so hard throughout the season to compete in England and across Europe. It is an honour to be included in such an illustrious list of teams who also achieved success at the elite level of sport last year.”
As Madrid prepares for the Laureus World Sports Awards in April, a sporting icon of that city – and Laureus World Sports Academy Member, Raul Gonzalez Blanco is eagerly anticipating one of the most significant dates on the global sporting calendar.
Former captain of Real Madrid and Spain, Raul, said: “We are in a special moment for sports around the world and the timing could not be better for the Laureus World Sports Awards to come to my city, Madrid. With these nominations, we are not only celebrating the best athletes competing today but also those who have a claim to be among the greatest of all time. That list has to include Simone Biles after her amazing comeback, and Mikaela Shiffrin, who became the most successful World Cup skier of all time. It must also include Novak Djokovic after his latest Grand Slam wins. But there are many other athletes nominated who I believe are on their way to becoming all-time greats.
“They are all champions, and as elite athletes they share something very special. And that is why the Laureus Awards mean the most to them, they’re the best of the best across all sports. To be nominated for a Laureus is already something to celebrate!”
The full list of Nominees is:
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD:
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Tennis – won three Grand Slams, finishing 2023 with a record-equalling 24.
Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) Athletics – twice improved his own world pole vault record and won a second world title.
Erling Haaland (Norway) Football – his 52 goals spearheaded Manchester City’s treble season.
Noah Lyles (USA) Athletics – won the 100, 200 and 4 x 100 metres relay at the World Athletics Championships.
Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football – a record eighth Ballon d’Or and a record 44th trophy win.
Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Motor Racing – completed a hat-trick of Formula One World Championships.
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD:
Aitana Bonmati (Spain) Football – won the World Cup, Champions League and Liga F – plus Ballon d’Or Feminin.
Shericka Jackson (Jamaica) Athletics – won 200-metre gold at the World Championships.
Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) Athletics – the first woman to win 1,500 and 5,000 metres double at the World Championships.
Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) Athletics – golds in 100 and 4 x 100 metre relay.
Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) Alpine Skiing – became the all-time leader in World Cup wins.
Iga Swiatek (Poland) Tennis – won in France and regained the World No.1 spot at the WTA Finals.
LAUREUS WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD :
European Ryder Cup Team – Golf – regained the trophy with a dominant display in Rome.
Germany Men’s Basketball Team – FIBA World Cup champions after shock wins over USA and Serbia.
Manchester City (UK) Football – treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula One Team (Austria) – second consecutive constructors’ title after winning all but one race.
Springboks (South Africa) Rugby – winners of a record fourth World Cup.
Spain Women’s Football Team – World Cup winners after a game-changing tournament in Australia.
LAUREUS WORLD BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR AWARD:
Jude Bellingham (UK) Football – winner of Golden Boy Award for Real Madrid’s new star.
Linda Caicedo (Colombia) Football – played in under-17, under-20 and senior World Cup in the same year.
Coco Gauff (USA) Tennis – maiden Grand Slam title came in US Open, aged 19.
Qin Haiyang (China) Swimming – swept the breaststroke events (50, 100 & 200 metres) at the World Championships.
Josh Kerr (UK) Athletics – stunned favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen to win the 1,500-metre world title.
Salma Paralluelo (Spain) Football – FIFA Young Player Award winner for best young footballer at the World Cup.
LAUREUS WORLD COMEBACK OF THE YEAR AWARD:
Simone Biles (USA) Gymnastics – after a two-year absence, returned to win four World Championship golds.
Sebastien Haller (Ivory Coast) Football – recovered from cancer diagnosis to return for Borussia Dortmund.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson (UK) Athletics – won heptathlon gold at the World Championships after multiple injuries.
Siya Kolisi (South Africa) Rugby – came back from an ACL tear to lead his country to World Cup glory.
Jamal Murray (Canada) Basketball – after 18 months out, won the NBA Championship with Denver.
Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic) Tennis – won Wimbledon as an unseeded player after a series of injuries. (ANI)
