25 Years of Laureus

There is a room in Monte Carlo’s famous Sporting Club called La Salle des Etoiles. The room of stars. In 2025, as we celebrate 25 years of Laureus, and connect the global movement that Laureus is today with its point of origin, we look to the stars to remember how it all started.

On that stage on May 25, 2000 – 25 years ago to the day – stood 24 of the 30 founding Members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. For these sporting icons – Olympic champions, World Cup winners, record breakers, game changers – it was an indelible moment. Each one of them would say for years to come that they could not have imagined that night how Laureus would grow; the millions of lives that would be changed by Laureus Sport for Good; the generations of sporting greatness that would be honoured by the Laureus World Sports Awards.

In front of them on that stage stood our own North Star, the guiding light that has remained a constant throughout this past quarter century. Nelson Mandela was the founding patron of Laureus Sport for Good and defined our mission at its outset with his words that evening.

"Sport 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. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination."

Johann Rupert launches Laureus

His vision proceeds with support from Swiss luxury group Richemont and, later, Daimler through Mercedes-Benz.

Cartier are commissioned to design and produce a prize worthy of the best in world sport – the Laureus.

1999

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First Laureus World Sports Awards, Monaco

Nelson Mandela attends as Patron and guest of honour; he delivers a now iconic speech:

"Sport has the power to change the world..."

The Laureus World Sports Academy, a unique collection of the greatest living sporting legends, each of whom has achieved the pinnacle of success in their sport, is formed.

David Beckham and the Manchester United treble-winning team of 1999 win the inaugural Laureus World Team of the Year Award.

2000

First Laureus Sport for Good programme

Mathare Youth Sports Association in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya.

Members of the Laureus World Sports Academy visit the Unified Sports programme in Shanghai.

Laureus' footprint around the world expands with launch of a National Foundation in Germany.

2001

Formula for Success

F1 world champion Michael Shumacher wins the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award in Monaco.

2002

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is inducted into the Laureus World Sports Academy.

Laureus begins its support of Magic Bus, a project aiming to take children out of poverty through sports coaching and mentoring in India. Laureus supports programmes like Magic Bus to utilise and empower local expertise to establish authentic connections with the communities they reach.

2003

Legendary actor Morgan Freeman hosts the Laureus World Sports Awards in Estoril, Portugal.

Swiss luxury watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen is announced as a Global Partner of Laureus.

Laureus Academy Forum

The Second Laureus Academy Forum takes place in India.

Laureus’ global footprint expands, with National Sport for Good Foundations launched in Argentina and Italy, joining Germany, South Africa and the United States.

2004

Laureus Sport
for Good

The first special edition watch is produced by IWC Schaffhausen.

Laureus launches support for sport for good programming in Hong Kong, China, through Operation Breakthrough. This begins more than two decades of work in the region.

2005

Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff is presented with the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rafael Nadal wins first Laureus

Rafael Nadal wins Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award
in Barcelona, following his maiden French Open title at Roland-Garros.

2006

The Laureus National Sport for Good Foundation Switzerland launches in Zurich.

Boxer Marvelous Marvin Hagler and NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen become the 44th and 45th members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.

2007

Laureus Sport for Good around the world

After making history at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, sprint sensation Usain Bolt wins his first Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, presented by Laureus Academy Members, Michael Johnson and Edwin Moses.

2008

Academy Member Daley Thompson leads the Laureus Breaking the Cycle of Violence bike ride across the UK.

Academy Members visit New York City

and host programme participants ahead of US Open.

2009

Abu Dhabi welcomes the Laureus World Sports Awards for the first time.

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The first episode of Laureus’ monthly sports magazine ‘Spirit of Sport’ is broadcast in July 2010, reaching millions across 100 countries.

2010

Laureus Academy Members Sebastian Coe, Michael Johnson and Steve Redgrave launch a new partnership between Laureus Sport for Good and Track Academy at a programme visit in Willesden, London.

The 2011 Laureus Sport for Good Global Summit is held in London, including a visit to the London 2012 Olympic Stadium.

Laureus Sport for Good Global SummitLaureus World Sports Awards

2011

Barcelona win the Laureus World Team of the Year Award

Award Winner Messi

Lionel Messi receives the first of six team and individual Laureus World sports Awards, as FC Barcelona are named Laureus World Team of the Year.

England and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton receives the prestigious Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Laureus Sport for Good teams up with the London 2012 Organising Committee to roll out the International Inspiration programme.

100th Sport for Good programme

Laureus Sport for Good announces a landmark 100th Sport for Good programme, now using sport to tackle violence, discrimination and inequality in over 30 countries.

2012

Olympic legend Michael Phelps visits a Laureus programme in the Rocinha Favela ahead of the 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards in Rio de Janeiro.

Jessica Ennis-Hill, star of the London 2012 Olympics, is crowned Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year.

2013

British actor and Hollywood star Benedict Cumberbatch hosts the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards in Kuala Lumpur.

Laureus Academy Member Sean Fitzpatrick meets Northern Irish leaders Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness in Belfast to discuss Laureus Sport for Good’s work in the province. Laureus Sport for Good is the bridge between grassroots change-makers and global decision-makers.

2014

Laureus World Sports Awards in Shanghai

Li Na, Yao Ming and Novak Djokovic are among the winners at the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards, staged in Shanghai.

Yang Yang, Nadia Comăneci and Franz Klammer visit the Feiyang Skating Centre in Shanghai to celebrate Laureus’ longstanding partnership with Special Olympics.

Laureus Sport for Good aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals

2015

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Motor Racing legend Niki Lauda is presented with the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award by Lewis Hamilton at the 2016 Laureus World Sports Awards in Berlin.

More than 100 sport for development programme leaders unite at the Laureus Sport for Good Global Summit staged in Heidelberg, Germany.

2016

The world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt wins his fourth Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award at the 2017 Laureus World Sports Awards, staged in Monaco.

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US gymnast Simone Biles wins her first Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, after winning four gold medals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Alessandro del Piero presents Italian Paralympic fencer Beatrice Vio with the 2017 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award.

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2017

Spectacular Sixth for Federer

Roger Federer wins record fifth and sixth Laureus statuettes, taking both the Comeback and Sportsman Awards, at the ceremony in Monaco. He becomes the most decorated Laureus Award winner.

Having won her first Laureus in 2003, Serena Williams now wins a fifth - the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award.

More than 130
Laureus-supported programmes unite in Paris for the 2018 Laureus Sport for Good Global Summit.

2018

Laureus Challenge raises over $400,000

A four-day trek across the Drakensburg mountains raises over $400,000 for Laureus Sport for Good. The trek marks the first of a series of highly successful fundraising Challenges.

Lindsey Vonn, Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka and France Men’s Football Team are among the winners at the 2019 Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco.

2019

The 20th anniversary Laureus World Sports Awards

are hosted by Actor Hugh Grant from Berlin, with Simone Biles, Sachin Tendulkar and Oksana Masters among the winners.

20 Years of Laureus

Laureus Sport for Good announces a milestone six million children and young people have been impacted by its work since inception in 2000.

Multi Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka partners with Laureus Sport for Good and Nike to launch 'Play Academy with Naomi Osaka', an initiative changing young girls’ lives through play and sport.

2020

Laureus’ Sport for Good Cities initiative is recognised in a World Health Organization public health brief.

Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka and Mohammad Salah among the winners of the 2021 Laureus World Sports Awards, presented from Seville.

2021

Tom Brady, Robert Lewandowski and Valentino Rossi among the stars of sport honoured at the 2022 Laureus World Sports Awards.

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Argentine football captain Lionel Messi becomes the first footballer to win the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award at the 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards in Paris.

2022

Laureus celebrates a fifth year as Official Charity Partner of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.

Laureus Sport for Good and UNESCO announce a partnership, joining forces to use the power of sport to change the world.

2023

Laureus celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the ‘Sport for Good Cities’ initiative, with eight cities around the world having been launched since New Orleans marked the first in 2014.

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Laureus World Sports Awards 2024

Aitana Bonmatí wins the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, with Jude Bellingham and Novak Djokovic among those also receiving Awards in Madrid.

Novak Djokovic wins his fifth Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, presented to him by seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

2024

Laureus celebrates its 25th anniversary

The 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards return to Madrid.

Laureus begins exciting plans for expansion across its athlete and Sport for Good network giving the organisation a strong platform for the next quarter of a century.

2025

For the past 25 years, the Laureus World Sports Awards have celebrated the greatest athletes of this young century. Tennis’ Big Three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have won 16 Awards across three categories; Serena Williams and Simone Biles are four-time winners of the Sportswoman of the Year Award; Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt and Lionel Messi are multiple Award winners; Billie Jean King, Tom Brady and Kelly Slater are among the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award; the Team of the Year Award has recognised collective excellence from Manchester United’s treble winners of 1999, to the Spain team who won the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Those Awards have taken place all over the world, broadcast globally, hosted by Hollywood icons and attended by sports stars and leaders from the worlds of music, fashion, film and business. The Laureus statuette has become the most prized Award in sport – the only one voted for by the ultimate sporting jury of the Laureus World Sports Academy.

Every Time Sport Defeats Inequality, Everyone Wins

At the heart of this global celebration of elite athletic achievement, remains the global mission of Laureus Sport for Good. Every year, the Laureus Sport for Good Award is awarded to one of more than 300 supported programmes, but the story of Sport for Good is woven throughout the Awards show. Every Winner, every Nominee, everyone watching at home or in the audience learns about what Laureus Sport for Good has become since Nelson Mandela’s address in the room of stars.

Today, Laureus Sport for Good is a global leader in the sport for development sector, supporting and connecting hundreds of sports-based programmes in more than 40 countries. We empower change-makers within those communities with the expertise and best practice developed over 25 years, using the unique power of sport to bring hope, resilience and systematic change. We give them everything they need so they can independently achieve their potential within their communities, and we connect them a global network, each programme raising up the others as they develop and grow.

Behind that constant, global movement for change stand the Members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. While its core goals remain the same, the Academy looks a little different, 25 years on. Sadly, some of our founding Members are no longer with us. But many more have since joined our movement, finding a kinship among fellow champions who share a belief in the power of sport to bring change to the world.

Alongside the Academy, many more athletes – both active and retired – have become Laureus Ambassadors. Together, this team of champions elevate our story through their own platforms and combine to give Laureus a unique and influential place in the world of sport.

This year, our 25th, they lead a series of events and celebrations around the world as we mark this special moment and reaffirm our commitment to the mission that was set at the start of the century. And at the heart of those celebrations was the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid last month, when the greatest athletes in the world met to honour the greatest stories in sport, not just of the past 12 months, but of the last 25 years. It was a fitting way to mark 25 years of Laureus, with first-time winners including pole-vaulting great Mondo Duplantis and Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade sharing a stage with Biles and Rafael Nadal, athletes whose long and legendary careers have been illustrated by these Awards.