RIO DE JANEIRO, February 20, 2013 – Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, who became the first human to go through the sound barrier when he made the highest ever freefall from 39km (24 miles) over New Mexico in October, is to attend the 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards in Rio de Janeiro on March 11.
Baumgartner, along with British BMX rider Jamie Bestwick and German windsurfer Philip Köster, are among the Nominees for the coveted Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award who will be present at the Awards Ceremony in Rio next month.
Among the early names confirmed are no fewer than nine Olympic and Paralympic gold medal winners from the London Games: Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Grenada’s Kirani James, South African swimmer Chad Le Clos, British cyclist Victoria Pendleton, German rowers Filip Adamski and Andreas Kuffner and Namibian runner Johanna Benson. Also present will be Brazilian Paralympic heroes Daniel Dias and Alan Fonteles Oliveira, both nominated for the Laureus Disability Award, who will be hoping one of them can win a Laureus Statuette for their home country.
Among the great sporting legends attending the Awards Ceremony will be Sweden’s Björn Borg, who won five consecutive Wimbledon titles and six French Opens.
Laureus World Sports Academy Chairman Edwin Moses will be leading a glittering collection of his fellow Academy Members and Ambassadors, which includes no fewer than 15 Olympic and Paralympic gold medal winners, plus many former world champions from the major sports.
The Laureus World Sports Awards are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar. The winners, as voted by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, will be unveiled at a globally televised Awards Ceremony at the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro on the evening of Monday, March 11.
Double Olympic gold medallist Edwin Moses said: "I am delighted that so many great Olympians and Paralympians from London will be in Rio for the Awards Ceremony. With Rio being the Host City for the Laureus World Sports Awards, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, this is going to be a very special occasion indeed."
Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports over 140 community sports projects around the world, including three in Brazil. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over €60 million for projects which have improved the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people.
The Laureus World Sports Awards will enhance the calendar of major global events that Rio de Janeiro is hosting in the coming years, such as the 2013 World Judo Championship, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Rio is the birthplace of sport and culture in Brazil, a state of vibrant energy and natural beauty that has become a showcase of the country to the world.
Among the winners who have received Awards at previous Award Ceremonies have been Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Alex Ferguson, Lewis Hamilton, Justine Henin, Kelly Holmes, Rafael Nadal, Oscar Pistorius, Steve Redgrave, Ronaldo, Michael Schumacher, Kelly Slater, Serena Williams and Zinedine Zidane. Guests attending the Awards Ceremony have included His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, David and Victoria Beckham, Sean Connery, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Morgan Freeman, Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey.
The full list of Nominees for the 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards is:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
Usain Bolt (Jamaica) Athletics; Mo Farah (UK) Athletics; Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football; Michael Phelps (US) Swimming; Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Motor Racing; Bradley Wiggins (UK) Cycling
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Jessica Ennis (UK) Athletics; Allyson Felix (US) Athletics: Missy Franklin (US) Swimming; Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) Athletics; Lindsey Vonn (US) Skiing; Serena Williams (US) Tennis
Laureus World Team of the Year
China Olympic Table Tennis Team; European Ryder Cup Team; Miami Heat (US) Basketball; Red Bull Formula One Team (Austria); Spain Men’s Football Team; US Men’s Basketball Team
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year
Yannick Agnel (France) Swimming; Gabby Douglas (US) Gymnastics; Kirani James (Grenada) Athletics: Andy Murray (UK) Tennis; Neymar (Brazil) Football; Ye Shiwen (China) Swimming
Laureus World Comeback of the Year
Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) Athletics; Ernie Els (South Africa) Golf; European Ryder Cup Team; Anna Meares (Australia) Cycling; Felix Sanchez (Dominican Republic) Athletics; Germany Men’s Olympic Eights Rowing Team
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Patrick Anderson (Canada) Wheelchair Basketball; Johanna Benson (Namibia) Athletics; Daniel de Faria Dias (Brazil) Swimming; Alan Fonteles Oliveira (Brazil) Athletics; David Weir (United Kingdom) Wheelchair Racing; Alex Zanardi (Italy) Hand Cycling
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year
Felix Baumgartner (Austria) Skydiving; Jamie Bestwick (UK) BMX; Julie Bresset (France) Mountain Biking; Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) Surfing; Joel Parkinson (Australia) Surfing; Philip Köster (Germany) Windsurfing
For more detailed biographies of Nominees go to www.laureus.com
For more information contact:
Gerald Meier,
Head of Global Communications
Tel: +44 (0)20 7514 2749
E mail: publicrelations@laureus.com
Photo Archive: www.laureusarchive.com
Video Archive: www.laureusdigital.com
Websites: http://www.laureus.com/
Follow us on Twitter @LaureusSport
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