GREAT SPORTING LEGENDS TO ATTEND LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS IN ABU DHABI

·         ‘I am delighted that so many members of the Laureus Family will be in Abu Dhabi to salute the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year’ – says Laureus Academy Chairman Edwin Moses

·         Laureus Awards Ceremony to be held in Abu Dhabi from February 5-7

·         Apply for media accreditation on www.laureus.com/accreditation 

ABU DHABI, January 20, 2011 – Abu Dhabi will be the focus of the sporting world when it stages the 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards on Monday, February 7.

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 a globally televised Awards Ceremony staged at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Among the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy and the Ambassadors programme who will be in Abu Dhabi are:

Giacomo Agostini	Ruud Gullit	Alexey Nemov
Layne Beachley	Marvelous Marvin Hagler	Oscar Pistorius
Boris Becker	Mika Hakkinen	Gary Player
Franz Beckenbauer	Tony Hawk	Morné du Plessis
Sergey Bubka	Kelly Holmes	Hugo Porta
Bobby Charlton	Kip Keino	Lucas Radebe
Nadia Comaneci	Taig Khris	Monica Seles
Yaping Deng	Franz Klammer	Mark Spitz
Marcel Desailly	Michael Lynagh	Michael Teuber
Kapil Dev	Barry McGuigan	Daley Thompson
Sean Fitzpatrick	Edwin Moses	Alberto Tomba
Dawn Fraser	Nawal El Moutawakel	Pieter Van den Hoogenband
Frankie Fredericks	Robby Naish	Steve Waugh
Tanni Grey-Thompson	Ilie Nastase

Double Olympic gold medallist Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, said: “I am delighted that the Laureus World Sports Awards is returning to Abu Dhabi and that so many members of the Laureus Family will be there to salute the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year. Our visit to Abu Dhabi last year was unforgettable and produced a most memorable Awards Ceremony. We are all looking forward to returning to Abu Dhabi to celebrate another wonderful year of sport.”

The Laureus World Sports Awards is returning to Abu Dhabi thanks to the support of Aabar Investments PJS, who will once again be Host Partner for the event.  His Excellency Khadem Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Aabar, said: "The Laureus World Sports Awards is a unique event. It was magnificent, a great success for Abu Dhabi when it was held here last March. The whole event was really superb. We will certainly try to do something special for this year’s Awards.”

Last year, double Oscar-winning Hollywood star Kevin Spacey hosted a glittering Awards Ceremony attended by leading sportsmen and women from around the world. In the audience at a packed auditorium at the Emirates Palace last year were Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, British film stars Hugh Grant and Clive Owen and American actors Kyle MacLachlan and Michelle Rodriguez.  Among the names of the winners of the 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards announced in Abu Dhabi were Usain Bolt, Serena Williams, Jenson Button, Kim Clijsters, Natalie du Toit and Stephanie Gilmore.

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 almost 80 community sports projects around the world. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over €35 million for projects which have helped to improve the lives of more than one 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