HOLLYWOOD LEGEND MORGAN FREEMAN TO ATTEND LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS IN ABU DHABI
- Film and TV celebrities to attend 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards to honour today’s greatest sportsmen and sportswomen
- Laureus World Sports Awards to be held in Abu Dhabi from February 5-7
- Apply for media accreditation on www.laureus.com/accreditation
Ronan Keating, who has sold more than 20 million records worldwide as a solo artist since leaving Boyzone, will be performing on stage, and also present will be Spanish actresses Elsa Pataky, who has appeared in 18 films in France and Spain and also played Elsa in the Samuel L Jackson film Snakes on a Plane, and Paz Vega, who was a star of 7 Vidas, a series billed as a Spanish Friends and has appeared in films such as Spanglish, The Spirit and co-starred with Morgan Freeman in 10 Items or Less.
The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievement, are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar. The winners, as voted by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time, will be unveiled at the globally televised Awards Ceremony at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.
Mohammed Al Deayea |
Daniel Dias |
Jakub Krako |
Gary Player |
Bashar Al Salem |
Mick Doohan |
Sabri Lamouchi |
Morné du Plessis |
Giacomo Agostini |
Victor Fernandez |
Jari Litmanen |
Hugo Porta |
Vitor Baia |
Mark Fish |
Tegla Loroupe |
Carlos Queiroz |
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Layne Beachley |
Sean Fitzpatrick |
Michael Lynagh |
Lucas Radebe |
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Franz Beckenbauer |
Jacque Fourie |
Glenn McGrath |
Steve Redgrave |
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Boris Becker |
Dawn Fraser |
Barry McGuigan |
Manuel Sanchis |
Verena Bentele |
Frankie Fredericks |
Steve McManaman |
Ryan Sandes |
Thomas Berthold |
Jan Frodeno |
Rabah Madjer |
Ralf Schumacher |
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Jamie Bestwick |
Stephanie Gilmore |
Matteo Manassero |
Monica Seles |
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Baichung Bhutia |
Tanni Grey-Thompson |
Ismail Matar |
Kelly Slater |
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Ronald de Boer |
Oscar Pistorius |
Bora Milutinovic |
Emma Snowsill |
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Florian Boitin |
Karl-Heinz Riedle |
Colin Montgomerie |
Mark Spitz |
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Annabelle Bond |
Marvelous Marvin Hagler |
Edwin Moses |
Michael Teuber |
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Martin Braxenthaler |
Mika Hakkinen |
Carlos Moya |
Daley Thompson |
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Fabio Cannavero |
Tony Hawk |
Nawal El Moutawakel |
Pieter Van den Hoogenband |
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Guido Cappellini |
Ivan Helguera |
Rafael Nadal |
Esther Vergeer |
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Bobby Charlton |
Kelly Holmes |
Hidetoshi Nakata |
Patrick Viera |
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Nadia Comaneci |
Christian Karembeu |
Robby Naish |
Blanka Vlasic |
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Alastair Cook |
Martin Kaymer |
Ilie Nastase |
Steve Waugh |
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Fernando Couto |
Kip Keino |
Alexey Nemov |
Lauren Woolstencroft |
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Matt Cowdrey |
Taig Khris |
Antonios Nikopolidis |
Caroline Wozniacki |
Edgar Davids |
Franz Klammer |
Louis Oosthuizen |
Dwight Yorke |
Marcel Desailly |
Wladimir Klitschko |
Jean-Marie Pfaff |
Gianfranco Zola |
Frankie Dettori |
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Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, offers a fascinating combination of the old and the new; a blend of Arabic hospitality and mystique where a mixture of culture and tradition come together against a backdrop of the most modern world-class infrastructure. Abu Dhabi is developing a reputation as a great sporting venue as host city for the FIFA Club World Cup, the Etihad Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, all highlights of the sporting calendar in the city.
Aabar Investments PJS is an investment company headquartered in Abu Dhabi. It invests in various sectors including aerospace, real estate, automotive and financial services. Its largest stakeholder is the International Petroleum Investment Company, which is wholly owned by the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which supports 83 community sports projects around the world. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over €40 million for projects which have helped to improve the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people.
The full list of Nominees for the 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards is:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
Kobe Bryant (US, basketball), Andres Iniesta (Spain, football), Lionel Messi (Argentina, football), Rafael Nadal (Spain, tennis), Manny Pacquiao (Philippines, boxing), Sebastian Vettel (Germany, motor racing)
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Kim Clijsters (Belgium, tennis), Jessica Ennis (UK, athletics), Blanka Vlasic (Croatia, athletics), Lindsey Vonn (US, skiing), Serena Williams (US, tennis), Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark, tennis)
Laureus World Team of the Year
All Blacks (New Zealand, rugby), European Ryder Cup Team (golf), Inter Milan (Italy, football), Los Angeles Lakers (US, basketball), Red Bull Formula One Team (Austria), Spain World Cup Team (football)Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year
Martin Kaymer (Germany, golf), Christophe Lemaitre (France, athletics), Matteo Manassero (Italy, golf), Thomas Muller (Germany, football), Louis Oosthuizen (S.Africa, golf), Teddy Tamgho (France, athletics)
Laureus World Comeback of the Year
Paula Creamer (US, golf), Tyson Gay (US, athletics), Justine Henin (Belgium, tennis), Carolina Kluft (Sweden, athletics), Merlene Ottey (Slovenia, athletics), Valentino Rossi (Italy, motor cycling)
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Verena Bentele (Germany, skiing/biathlon), Matt Cowdrey (Australia, swimming), Daniel Dias (Brazil, swimming), Jakub Krako (Slovakia, skiing), Esther Vergeer (Netherlands, wheelchair tennis), Lauren Woolstencroft (Canada, skiing)
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year
Jamie Bestwick (UK, BMX), Victor Fernandez (Spain, windsurfing), Stephanie Gilmore (Australia, surfing), Levi Sherwood (N.Zealand, freestyle moto-cross), Kelly Slater (US, surfing), Shaun White (US, snowboarding)To apply for accreditation for the 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards, go to www.laureus.com/accreditation
Get involved and Give the Gift of Sport on www.sportforgood.org
For photos of Laureus events please visit www.laureusarchive.com
Fot footage of Laureus events please visit www.laureusdigital.com
The Patron of Laureus is Nelson Mandela. At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000, President Mandela said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Sport can awaken hope where there was previously only despair.” This has become the philosophy of Laureus; the driving force behind its work.
Laureus is a universal movement that celebrates the power of sport to bring people together as a force for good. Laureus is composed of three core elements - the Laureus World Sports Academy, the Laureus World Sports Awards and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation - which collectively celebrate sporting excellence and harness the power of sport to promote social change.
The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy are: Giacomo Agostini, Marcus Allen, Severiano Ballesteros, Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker, Ian Botham, Sergey Bubka, Bobby Charlton, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci, Yaping Deng, Marcel Desailly, Kapil Dev, David Douillet, Emerson Fittipaldi, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mika Häkkinen, Tony Hawk, Mike Horn, Miguel Indurain, Michael Johnson, Kip Keino, Franz Klammer, Dan Marino, John McEnroe, Edwin Moses (Chairman), Nawal El Moutawakel, Robby Naish, Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, Alexey Nemov, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Vivian Richards, Monica Seles, Mark Spitz, Daley Thompson, Alberto Tomba, Steve Waugh and Katarina Witt.
The Laureus Academy members volunteer their services as global ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which was set up to promote the use of sport as a tool for social change. The Foundation addresses social challenges through a worldwide programme of sports related community development initiatives. Since its inception Laureus has raised over €40 million for projects which have helped improve the lives of more than one-and-a-half one million young people. The Foundation addresses issues in particular involving, but not limited to, young people impacted by social exclusion, gun and gang violence, discrimination, community integration, peace and reconciliation, and education.
The Laureus World Sports Awards is the premier global sports awards honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year. The winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury - the 46 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, the living legends of sport honouring the great athletes of today. The Awards are presented at an annual Awards Ceremony, attended by global figures from sport and entertainment, which is broadcast to 100 countries and territories.
Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which supports 83 community sports projects around the world.
There is a two-part voting process to find the winners of the Laureus World Sports Awards. Firstly, a Selection Panel of the world’s leading sports editors, writers and broadcasters have been voting to create a shortlist of six nominations in five categories – Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, Laureus World Team of the Year, Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year and Laureus World Comeback of the Year. The nominations for two additional categories - the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year and the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability are produced by Specialist Panels. The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy then vote by secret ballot to select the Award winners in all seven categories.
Laureus was founded by its Patrons Richemont and Daimler and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz, IWC Schaffhausen and Vodafone.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz, the world’s oldest automaker, can look back on a unique tradition. It is the most valuable automotive premium brand which stands for quality, safety, comfort, fascinating design and sustainable mobility. Mercedes-Benz enjoys an excellent reputation, particularly in the area of safety technology. Many pioneering technical innovations that are standard automotive features today were first seen in a Mercedes-Benz car. The Mercedes-Benz engineers will in future consistently reinvent the automobile – with the same enthusiasm and innovation like Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz in 1886. Mercedes-Benz is a Global Partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Since the beginning of the Foundations’ operations in 2000, Mercedes-Benz has shared and supported the goals and values of this worldwide charity programme where sports play the core role in the fight against social issues - Laureus has become a vital element of the corporate social responsibility programme of Mercedes-Benz.
IWC Schaffhausen
For more than 140 years, IWC Schaffhausen has been producing precision products of complex functionality and outstanding user-friendliness for watch connoisseurs who expect more from their watch than an accurate display. Since its foundation in 1868, the International Watch Company has built up a reputation as a long-established Swiss watchmaking firm with a passion for inventions, innovative solutions and technical refinements. Today the brand is more successful than at any time in its history. IWC uses this strength in a programme of corporate social responsibility initiatives at home and abroad. In 2005, IWC entered into a long-term commitment to become a Global Partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
Vodafone
Vodafone is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies by revenue with approximately 343 million controlled and jointly controlled customers, as at 30 September 2010. Vodafone has currently equity interests in over 30 countries across five continents and a further 40 partner networks worldwide, and is supporting Laureus as a Global Partner, with a five year agreement which began in 2008 and concludes in 2012. Vodafone is a long-standing supporter of sport sponsorship and is pleased to be part of an organisation that celebrates sporting excellence both at a grass roots level through the humanitarian work worldwide of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and at elite level through the annual Laureus World Sports Awards, which honours the achievements of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen.
Aabar Investments PJS
Aabar Investments PJS is an investment company headquartered in Abu Dhabi. It invests in various sectors including aerospace, real estate, automotive and financial services. Its largest stakeholder is the International Petroleum Investment Company, which is wholly owned by the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi emirate is a destination with a unique blend of Arabian hospitality and mystique. It brings together a mix of culture and tradition against a backdrop of modern, world-class infrastructure. Abu Dhabi is a diverse destination with dramatic desertscapes, 400 kilometres of pristine coastline, 200 offshore islands, cooling oases settlements and the modern capital of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi is developing a reputation as a leading international sports destination through the staging, and hosting, of flagship sporting events including the F1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the FIFA Club World Cup and the European Tour-backed Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. This dynamic destination is the proud host of the 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards.
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