Press Release | Great Legends of Sport to Attend Laureus World Sports Awards
· Federer, Isinbayeva, Klitschko, Popov among sports giants in St.Petersburg
· Becker, Beckenbauer, Comaneci, Moses head Laureus Academy team
· Laureus Awards Ceremony to be held in St.Petersburg on February 18
ST.PETERSBURG, February 14, 2008 – Many of the great names in sport - past and present - are to attend the ninth Laureus World Sports Awards, to be held at the Mariinsky Concert Hall, St.Petersburg on Monday, February 18.
Among the sporting legends who will be attending are pole vault stars Yelena Isinbayeva and Sergey Bubka, swimmers Alexander Popov and Mark Spitz, skaters Evgeniy Plushenko and Irina Rodnina, gymnasts Nadia Comaneci, Alexander Dityatin and Alexei Nemov, tennis aces Boris Becker, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, boxers Marvin Hagler and Vitali Klitschko and footballers Franz Beckenbauer, Marcel Desailly and Marta.
The Laureus Awards Ceremony is attended by stars from sports, entertainment and fashion. Also present will be Hollywood celebrities Kim Cattrall, Cuba Gooding Jr, Dennis Hopper and Kyle MacLachlan.
The Laureus World Sports Awards is the premier annual sports awards honouring the world’s greatest sportsmen and sportswomen, and is broadcast globally to 180 countries. The winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury, the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, the living legends of sport.
Among those attending the Awards, including members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, are:
Giacomo Agostini
Marcus Allen
Natascha Badmann
Mansour Bahrami
Franz Beckenbauer
Boris Becker
Annabelle Bond
Sergey Bubka
Kim Cattrall
Nadia Comaneci
Marcel Desailly
Kapil Dev
Daniel Dhers
Daniel Dias
Alexander Dityatin
Novak Djokovic
Roger Federer
Sean Fitzpatrick
Dawn Fraser
Valery Gergiev
Cuba Gooding Jr
Tanni Grey-Thompson
Bryan Habana
Aaron Hadlow
Marvin Hagler
Tony Hawk
Dennis Hopper
Mike Horn
Edith Hunkeler
Mikhail Ignatiev
Larisa Ilichenko
Yelena Isinbayeva
Butch James
Olga Kapranova
Alexander Karelin
Tatyana Kazankina
Kip Keino
Darren Kenny
Svetlana Khorkina
Conny Kissling
Franz Klammer
Vitali Klitschko
Urs Lehmann
Renate Lingor
Marina Logvinenko
Uliana Lopatkina
Ronnie Lott
Kyle MacLachlan
Marta
Percy Montgomery
Edwin Moses
Robby Naish
Ilie Nastase
Alexei Nemov
Christine Ohuruogu
Oscar Pistorius
Morné du Plessis
Evgeniy Plushenko
Alexander Popov
Hugo Porta
Stanislav Pozdnyakov
Yuri Prilukov
Irina Rodnina
Marc Rosset
Silke Rottenberg
Vladimir Salnikov
Emilio Sanchez-Vicario
Anton Siharulidze
Oksana Slivenko
Maria Stepanova
Sarah Storey
Mark Spitz
Michael Teuber
Yuri Tyukalov
Esther Vergeer
Steve Waugh
Viacheslav Yakimov
Svetlana Zurova
Galina Zybina
The Awards Ceremony will open with a special orchestral work chosen by legendary Russian maestro Valery Gergiev, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre. Also performing will be Uliana Lopatkina, principal dancer at the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet.
The spectacular backdrop of St. Petersburg, one of the most historic cities in the world, with its palaces of the tsars, museums, waterways and historic landmarks, promises to ensure one of the most memorable Laureus Awards Ceremonies ever. Over the years St. Petersburg has hosted many important sports events, including the highly successful 1994 Goodwill Games.
Valentina Matvienko, the Governor of St. Petersburg said: “We are delighted that St. Petersburg has been chosen to host the 2008 Laureus World Sports Awards. Sport is close to the hearts of millions of Petersburgers and we look forward to staging this major sport event in our city. St.Petersburg is a city that harmoniously combines historic traditions and modern European values. Active construction of sport facilities and creation of well-developed infrastructure, make St. Petersburg the ideal venue for sports events of global significance. I am sure this ceremony will be a night to remember in the city. I am also confident that our partnership with the Laureus World Sports Awards will be enormously successful.”
The full list of nominees for the 2008 Laureus World Sports Awards is:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
Roger Federer (Switzerland, Tennis), Tyson Gay (US, Athletics), Kaka (Brazil, Football), Michael Phelps (US, Swimming), Kimi Raikkonen (Finland, Motor Racing), Tiger Woods (US, Golf)
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Justine Henin (Belgium, Tennis), Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia, Athletics), Carolina Kluft (Sweden, Athletics), Libby Lenton (Australia, Swimming), Marta (Brazil, Football), Lorena Ochoa (Mexico, Golf)
Laureus World Team of the Year
AC Milan (Italy, Football), Australia Men’s Cricket Team, Ferrari (Italy, Motor Racing), Germany Women’s Football Team, Iraq Football Team, South African Rugby Team
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year
Alberto Contador (Spain, Cycling), Novak Djokovic (Serbia, Tennis), Tyson Gay (US, Athletics), Lewis Hamilton (UK, Motor Racing), Oscar Pistorius (S.Africa, Athletics), Casey Stoner (Australia, Motor Cycling)
Laureus World Comeback of the Year
Gt.Britain Rugby League Team (UK), Christine Ohuruogu (UK, Athletics), Paula Radcliffe (UK, Athletics), Jana Rawlinson (Australia, Athletics), Steve Stricker (US, Golf), Jonny Wilkinson (UK, Rugby Union)
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Daniel Dias (Brazil, Swimming), Darren Kenny (UK, Cycling), Sarah Storey (UK, Cycling), Michael Teuber (Germany, Cycling), Esther Vergeer (Netherlands, Wheelchair Tennis)
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year
Daniel Dhers (Venezuela, BMX), Mick Fanning (Australia, Surfing), Stephanie Gilmore (Australia, Surfing), Aaron Hadlow (UK, Kiteboarding), Ryan Sheckler (US, Skateboarding), Shaun White (US, Snowboarding/Skateboarding),
For further information please contact:
Liz Brooks
Laureus Global Public Relations
Tel: +44 (0)20 7514 2749
Fax: +44 (0)20 7514 2782
Email: publicrelations@laureus.com
Photo Archive: www.laureusarchive.com
Website: www.laureus.com
For photos of Laureus events please visit www.laureusarchive.com
NB: Information correct at time of going to press
NOTES TO EDITORS
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 Awards, the Laureus World Sports Academy and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation - which collectively celebrate sporting excellence and harness the power of sport to promote social change.
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 43 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 180 countries and territories each year.
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.
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, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, 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, 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. Its work focuses on helping young people overcome poverty, homelessness, war, violence, drugs abuse, discrimination and AIDS. Since its inception over 150,000 underprivileged young people have been helped in over 50 projects around the world.
Laureus is supported by its Founding Patrons Richemont and Daimler represented by their brands IWC Schaffhausen and Mercedes-Benz.
IWC Schaffhausen
For more than a century, IWC Schaffhausen has been producing precision products of complex functionality and outstanding user-friendliness for watch connoisseurs who expect more from their watch than just having an accurate timekeeper. 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 Founding Partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz, the world’s oldest automaker, can look back on a unique tradition. The premium brand stands for modern, innovative automobiles, for quality, safety, comfort and design. 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 car with the star also has an excellent reputation with regard to quality, value for money and customer satisfaction. Mercedes-Benz is a Founding 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.
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