Abu Dhabi to host Laureus World Sports Award tomorrow

Amit Kumar Das
Abu Dhabi, Mar 9 (PTI) Sports stars from around the globe
will converge at the Emirates Palace here when the capital
hosts the 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony tomorrow
to recognise the sporting achievements of the year passed by.
It will be a glittering function comprising the who's who
of world sports, including influential figures from athletics,
football, equestrian, snooker and cycling among other
disciplines.
India's cricket World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev will
represent the country as a member of the Laureus Academy which
also has other cricketers in Steve Waugh, Shaun Pollock, Ian
Botham and Brain Lara.
The Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award has Olympic
gold medallist Usain Bolt, 16 grand slam winner Roger Federer
and 2009 FIFA player of the year Lionel Messi as some of the
nominees.
Also featuring in the list are Ethiopian athlete Kenenisa
Bekele, Spaniard cyclist Alberto Contador and the MotoGP world
champion Valentino Rossi of Italy.
However, with most of the nominees still uncertain for
tomorrow's gala evening, the prestigious award function is
likely to lose some sheen.
While Bolts and Federer are likely to miss out, Hollywood
stars will illuminate the evening with Oscar-winning actor
Kevin Spacey leading the peck as he gets ready to host the
show.
The Usual Suspects and American Beauty star will be
joined by many others, including hugely popular British film
stars Hugh Grant and Clive Owen.
Among the special guests at the Awards, will be American
actors Kyle MacLachlan, star of Desperate Housewives, and
Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Trudy Chacon in Avatar and was
Ana Lucia Cortez in the TV series Lost.
Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates,
offers a fascinating combination of the old and new against a
backdrop of the most modern world-class infrastructure, which
has catapulted the capital as one of the most favoured
sporting destinations.
Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Golf
Championships are now highlights of the sporting calendar in
the city and the Laureus World Sports Awards to be staged here
is just the right icing on the cake.
"Sports in the Gulf region is huge. We have the biggest
turnout in terms of names and sports. Holding the Awards here
in Abu Dhabi gives a boost to the UAE and the entire Gulf
region. We want to inspire the youth in this region and the
athletes," said Edwin Moses, chairman of the Laureus Academy.
"We have 30 Academy members here which is the second
widest turnout ever. We had an annual get together dinner last
night with all the Academy members, family and friends. But
starting tonight, we will get things rolling. We meet twice a
year. But we hadn't met in 18 months. So, it was nice to get
together last night.
"We are glad and proud to be here. I thank the Abu Dhabi
Sports Council (ADSC) for a fantastic event," he added.
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Moses said Laureus has always been an initiative that
wants to bring change through sports.
"We want to use sports as a tool for change. There has
been tremendous change in the last three years. Starting with
six projects, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation supports
almost 80 projects worldwide. We have 46 Academy members now.
We started with 28," he said.
ADSC Mohammed Ibrahim Al Mahmood hoped that hosting this
award function will inspire the other athletes of the country
and someone from the native land someday will win the award.
"We are glad to have this international sports event in
Abu Dhabi. It is very important to us. We want to encourage
young people and make them achieve big things in sport. We in
Abu Dhabi will work hard to encourage young people to take up
sport. We hope that someday, an Emirati will achieve this
award," he said.
Full list of Nominees for the 2010 Laureus World Sports
Awards:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Kenenisa Bekele
(Ethiopia, Athletics), Usain Bolt (Jamaica, Athletics),
Alberto Contador (Spain, Cycling), Roger Federer (Switzerland,
Tennis), Lionel Messi (Argentina, Football), Valentino Rossi
(Italy, Motor Cycling).
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Shelly-Ann Fraser
(Jamaica, Athletics), Federica Pellegrini (Italy, Swimming),
Sanya Richards (US, Athletics), Britta Steffen (Germany,
Swimming), Lindsey Vonn (US, Skiing), Serena Williams (US,
Tennis).
Laureus World Team of the Year: FC Barcelona (Spain,
Football), Brawn GP Formula One Team (UK), Germany Women's
Football Team, Los Angeles Lakers (US, Basketball), New York
Yankees (US, Baseball), South Africa Rugby Team.
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Jenson Button
(UK, Motor Racing), Mark Cavendish (UK, Cycling), Tom Daley
(UK, Diving), Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina, Tennis), Ji
Yai Shin (South Korea, Golf), VFL Wolfsburg (Germany,
Football).
Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Lance Armstrong (US,
Cycling), Kim Clijsters (Belgium, Tennis), Jessica Ennis (UK,
Athletics), Brett Favre (US, American Football), Blanka Vlasic
(Croatia, Athletics), Tom Watson (US, Golf).
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with Disability:
Justin Eveson (Australia, Wheelchair Basketball), Kurt
Fearnley (Australia, Wheelchair Racing), Gizen Girismen
(Turkey, Para-Archery), Shingo Kunieda (Japan, Wheelchair
Tennis), Michael Teuber (Germany, Cycling), Natalie du Toit
(S.Africa, Swimming).
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Antoine
Albeau (France, Windsurfing), Chris Cole (US, Skateboarding),
Mick Fanning (Australia, Surfing), Stephanie Gilmore
(Australia, Surfing), Greg Long (US, Surfing), Danny MacAskill
(UK, Trials Bikes). PTI ATK DB