THE 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards, the premier honours event in the international sporting calendar, will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The globally televised Awards Ceremony, attended by living legends of sport, celebrates the achievements of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen each year.
This is the 15th year of the Laureus World Sports Awards and Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, said: âI am delighted that the 2014 Awards is to be staged in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is an exciting development that Laureus is being held in South East Asia for the first time, enabling the Laureus message to be extended to a new part of the world.
Of course this will be a very emotional occasion as it is the first Awards since the death of our Patron, the great Nelson Mandela, and I am sure with the support of everyone in Kuala Lumpur it will be an Awards Ceremony to remember where we can salute todayâs sporting heroes and pay tribute to President Mandela.â
Among the sporting greats who have been named as winners of Awards over the 15 years of Laureus have been Usain Bolt, Sebastian Coe, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Sir Alex Ferguson, Lewis Hamilton, Kelly Holmes, Rafael Nadal, PelÊ, Steve Redgrave, Ronaldo, Michael Schumacher, Kelly Slater, Shaun White, 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.
YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri, Minister of Tourism & Culture of Malaysia, said: âKuala Lumpur is honoured to have been given the privilege of hosting the prestigious 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards and the city looks forward to staging this internationally-renowned event and welcoming a plethora of sporting legends to Malaysia.
“This is a sports-loving country and I can promise warm Malaysian hospitality awaits all our guests. As 2014 has also been declared âVisit Malaysia Yearâ, there is no better time to visit and experience the multi-cultural heritage, mouth-watering food and unbeatable shopping Malaysia has to offer.
“We are proud to count badminton world No 1, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, squash world champion Datuk Nicol David and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in platform diving Pandelela Rinong as products of our sports culture.
“Coupled with international events such as the Monsoon Cup and Formula One Grand Prix, we are supremely confident that Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is the perfect host for a sporting event with such global significance. I am positive this will be an event to remember for all involved.â
At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards 15 years ago, in 2000, President Mandela said: âSport 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.â This has become the philosophy of Laureus and the driving force behind its work.
