Chinese basketball giant Yao Ming and Sachin Tendulkar, the greatest cricketer of the modern generation, will be among the high profile guests attending the Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony in Shanghai on April 15.
The Laureus World Sports Awards is the premier honours event on the international sporting calendar. The winners, as voted by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 50 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time, will be unveiled at the globally televised event staged at the world-famous Shanghai Grand Theatre.
Yao Ming is already a winner of a Laureus Award, having been presented with the Laureus Newcomer of the Year Award in 2003 in recognition of his impact on US basketball in the NBA. Sachin Tendulkar retired from cricket in 2013 after scoring a world record 15,921 runs for India in Test matches and 18,426 in One Day Internationals. He is the only man to score 100 centuries in international cricket.
Yao Ming and Sachin Tendulkar are the latest giants of sport to confirm they will be at the high profile event, which will be hosted by film and TV star Benedict Cumberbatch. Other leading sports stars coming to Shanghai are former NFL player Marcus Allen, South African rugby legends Schalk Burger and Jean de Villiers, plus Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer, West Indies cricketer Michael Holding, American skateboard sensation Nyjah Huston and British Paralympic star Sarah Storey.
The list of Laureus Academy Members, Ambassadors, Nominees and Guests so far confirmed for Shanghai reads like a sporting whos who:
Valerie Adams
Marcus Allen
Annabelle Bond
Schalk Burger
Cafu
Eric Cantona
Fabio Capello
Nadia Comaneci
Mick Doohan
Emerson Fittipaldi
Sean Fitzpatrick
Dawn Fraser
Cathy Freeman
Shelley Gautier
Tanni Grey-Thompson
Ruud Gullit
Marvelous Marvin Hagler
Mika Hakkinen
Michael Holding
Mike Horn
Nyjah Huston
Michael Johnson
Kip Keino
Franz Klammer
Janica Kostelic
Leung Yuk Wing
Li Xiaopeng
Vanesa Lorenzo
Tegla Loroupe
Danny MacAskill
Tina Maze
Heyneke Meyer
Edwin Moses
Robby Naish
Ilie Nastase
Alexey Nemov
Roman Petushkov
Morné du Plessis
Hugo Porta
Carles Puyol
Louis Saha
Mark Spitz
Sarah Storey
Sun Wen
Sachin Tendulkar
Pierre Vaultier
Jean de Villiers
Steve Waugh
Ireen Wüst
Yang Yang
Yao Ming
Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports more than 150 community sports projects in 34 countries, including China. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over 60 million for projects which have improved the lives of millions of young people.
The Awards Ceremony, attended by legends of sport past and present, celebrates the achievements of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year. The Host Partner of the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards is Chinese textile and wool company HengYuanXiang Group (HYX), and the event will receive the strong support of the Shanghai Municipal Government.
The full list of Nominees for the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards is:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Tennis; Lewis Hamilton (UK) Motor Racing; Renaud Lavillenie (France) Athletics; Rory McIlroy (UK) Golf; Marc Márquez (Spain) Motor Cycling; Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Football.
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Valerie Adams (NZ) Athletics; Marit Bjørgen (Norway) Nordic Skiing; Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) Athletics; Tina Maze (Slovenia) Alpine Skiing; Li Na (China) Tennis: Serena Williams (US) Tennis.
Laureus World Team of the Year
European Ryder Cup Team (Golf); Germany Mens Football Team; Mercedes AMG Petronas Team (Germany); Real Madrid Football Team (Spain); San Antonio Spurs (US) Basketball; Switzerland Davis Cup Team (Tennis).
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award
Marin Cilic (Croatia) Tennis; Mario Götze (Germany) Football; Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Motor Racing; James Rodriguez (Colombia) Football; Mikaela Shiffrin (US) Alpine Skiing; Switzerland Davis Cup Team (Tennis).
Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award
Francesco Acerbi (Italy) Football; Schalk Burger (South Africa) Rugby; Diego Milito (Argentina) Football; Jo Pavey (UK) Athletics; Pierre Vaultier (France) Snowboarding; Oliver Wilson (UK) Golf.
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Shelley Gautier (Canada) Cycling; Tatyana McFadden (US) Wheelchair Racing; Roman Petushkov (Russia) Nordic Skiing; Anna Schaffelhuber (Germany) Alpine Skiing; Sarah Storey (UK) Cycling; Leung Yuk Wing (Hong Kong SAR China) Boccia.
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award
Alan Eustace (US) Skydiving; Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) Surfing; Nyjah Huston (US) Skateboarding; Sage Kotsenburg (US) Snowboarding; Danny MacAskill (UK) Trials Cycling; Gabriel Medina (Brazil) Surfing.
For more detailed biographies of Nominees, click here.
Among the sporting greats who have previously been named as winners of Laureus Awards over the last 15 years have been Usain Bolt, Sebastian Coe, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Alex Ferguson, Lewis Hamilton, Kelly Holmes, Yao Ming, Rafael Nadal, Pelé, Steve Redgrave, Ronaldo, Michael Schumacher, Kelly Slater, Shaun White, Serena Williams, Liu Xiang and Zinedine Zidane.
Guests who have attended previous Awards Ceremonies in the past have included David and Victoria Beckham, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jackie Chan, Thandie Newton, Clive Owen and Eva Longoria.
For further information please contact:
Virginie Bernon
Senior International Media & PR Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 207 514 2841
Email: publicrelations@laureus.com
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