Laureus World Sports Awards 2012
Djokovic,
Cheruiyot and FC Barcelona
The winners of the 2012 Laureus
World Sports Awards have been unveiled at a globally televised Awards Ceremony
in London, on February 6. These awards are the premier honours on the international
sporting calendar. The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy,
the ultimate sports jury, made up of 47 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen
of all time
By WAVE team
from Belgrade, SERBIA
Serbia's Novak Djokovic was acclaimed Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
after his remarkable 2011 when he won three Grand Slam events - the Australian
Open, Wimbledon and the US Open - and took away the tennis world No 1 ranking
from Rafael Nadal. The Laureus Sportswoman of the Year Award went to Kenya's extraordinary
distance runner Vivian Cheruiyot, who won both 5,000 and 10,000 metres
gold medals at the World Championships in Daegu. Winners of the Champions League
and the Spanish League in the 2010/11 season, under coach Pep Guardiola, FC
Barcelona won the Laureus World Team of the Year Award.
The winners
of the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards have been unveiled at a globally televised
Awards Ceremony in London, on February 6. These awards are the premier honours
on the international sporting calendar. The winners are chosen by the Laureus
World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 47 of the greatest
sportsmen and sportswomen of all time.
Northern Ireland golf celebrated
two Awards. Brilliant young star Rory McIlroy, 22, was named winner of
the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award after winning the US Open, his
first Major Championship, while Darren Clarke received the Laureus Comeback Award
after his Open Championship victory at Royal St.George's at his 20th attempt and
at the age of 42.
American surfing giant Kelly Slater was named
Laureus Action Sportsperson of the Year. It was his fourth Laureus Award, equalling
the record of Roger Federer, the only other four-time winner.
South Africa's Oscar Pistorius, dubbed the 'Blade Runner' because he uses
carbon fibre blades, was presented with the Laureus Disability Award, after becoming
the first amputee to win a track medal in the non-disabled World Championships,
a silver in the 4 x 400 metres relay.
England football legend Bobby
Charlton was awarded the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition
of his remarkable career. Former Brazilian international footballer Raí,
now a campaigner for social justice, won the Laureus Sport for Good Award.
The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievement during 2011,
were announced at the Awards Ceremony at Central Hall, Westminster, which was
hosted by Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe winner Clive Owen and attended
by guests from the worlds of sport and entertainment.
The members of the
Laureus World Sports Academy present were: Giacomo Agostini, Boris Becker, Sergey
Bubka, Nadia Comaneci, Marcel Desailly, Kapil Dev, Mick Doohan, Emerson Fittipaldi,
Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Tony Hawk, Mike Horn, Miguel
Indurain, Kip Keino, Franz Klammer, Edwin Moses, Nawal El Moutawakel, Robby Naish,
Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, Alexey Nemov, Gary Player, Morné du Plessis,
Hugo Porta, Steve Redgrave, Monica Seles, Mark Spitz, Daley Thompson, Alberto
Tomba, Steve Waugh and Katarina Witt.
Among the other guests present from
the world of entertainment and fashion were Bryan Ferry who performed on stage
as well as segment host British actress Thandie Newton, Spanish actress Elsa Pataky,
American actor Luke Wilson and Israeli actress and model Bar Refaeli.
Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the
work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports 91 community sports
projects in 34 countries around the world, including five in London. Since its
inception, Laureus has raised ?40 million for projects which have improved the
lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people.
(Published:
25.02.2012.) 
