Laureus World Sports Awards 2013 will be held in Rio de Janeiro

September 8, 2012

The 2013 and 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards, the premier honours event in the sporting calendar, are to be held in Rio de Janeiro.

The globally televised Awards Ceremony, attended by many of the living legends of sport, celebrates the achievements of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year.

Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports more than 100 community sports projects around the world that have helped to improve the lives of over one-and-a-half million young people. 

Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, said: “I am thrilled that the 2013 and 2014 Laureus Awards is to be staged in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil is one of the most exciting and flamboyant nations on Earth and Rio will become the centre of the sporting world over the next few years as it builds up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. I know sport is a passion for everyone in Brazil and it is great for Laureus that we are able to go to Rio for the Awards and be part of the celebrations there.”

Sérgio Cabral, Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, said: “The city of Rio de Janeiro is very proud to receive Laureus in 2013 and 2014. This extraordinary Awards event, that brings together great legends of world sport, will be held for the first time in the southern hemisphere. The Laureus World Sports Awards comes to further enhance the extensive calendar of international events that Rio will host in the coming years, like the World Judo Championship, the FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

“For us, this agenda goes beyond the sports realm and becomes a great tool for social inclusion. With that thought in mind, we created the Rio 2016 programme, which is present in 74 cities of our state and offers 52 sports disciplines, benefiting more than 230,000 children and adolescents. Therefore, for Rio’s Government, hosting an event like Laureus – which also has social projects involving sport — is paramount for building the social legacy we will leave to our population.”

Brazil’s double Formula One World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi, a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, said: “Everyone in Brazil is hoping that the next few years are very special for our country and I am delighted that we at Laureus can be part of that. I know that everyone who comes to the Awards will get a flavour of the excitement to come.

“But, of course, Laureus is much more than an Awards Ceremony. As our Patron Nelson Mandela has said ‘sport has the power to change the world and change people’s lives’ and we will be sending a message from Rio around the world to show how sport can make a difference to the lives of every one of us. We have supported projects to help young people in Rio for many years and now that we are joining together I know this will give us the chance to expand our work here significantly.”

The announcement was made by Sérgio Cabral and Edwin Moses at the Brazil House, the official base of the Brazilian Paralympic team and officials attending the London Paralympic Games. Also present were Carlos Arthur Nuzman, President of the Brazilian Olympic Committe, Andrew Parsons, President of the Brazilian Paralympi Committee, and Marcia Lins, State Secretary of Sport and Leisure for Rio de Janeiro.

Laureus brings great history and tradition to the state of Rio de Janeiro, which will be the focus of the sporting world over the next four years. Rio de Janeiro 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. The beaches, the Sambódromo and the Maracanã will play a significant role in the staging of the Laureus World Sports Awards next year.

The 2013 and 2014 Awards Ceremonies, which will be attended by the greatest names in sport, past and present, and broadcast to a worldwide TV audience, will take place at the Municipal Theatre, the venue for major international performances by dancers and musicians from Brazil which has also hosted events at the recent United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio +20. It was the venue for the speech of United States President Barack Obama on his visit to Brazil.