Here’s to the game-changers - 2026 Laureus Sport for Good Award Shortlist
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From the rugby pitch to the tennis court, this year’s Laureus Sport for Good Award shortlisted programmes have broken new ground in helping to transform young lives.
Innovation is at the heart of sporting greatness. The true giants find ways to change their sport. This year’s Laureus World Sports Awards will showcase the game-changers – those leading athletes whose ability to disrupt the established order led them to incredible success in 2025. Nominees such as Rory McIlroy, Mondo Duplantis, Carlos Alcaraz, Katie Ledecky, Aryna Sabalenka and Aitana Bonmatí are part of a generation intent on rewriting history and redefining their sport.
At the heart of these Awards is a wider movement which transcends competition – and proves that it is not just the world’s greatest athletes who inspire change. Our six shortlisted programmes for the 2026 Laureus Sport for Good Award all understand one thing: To make the world a better place, you must be prepared to change it. They are all true innovators – Laureus-supported programmes who have pioneered fresh approaches to unlock the potential of young people through sport.
From our six, a winner will be chosen to share the stage with sporting legends at the most prestigious Awards show of the year. The Laureus Sport for Good Award highlights the amazing work these programmes do, with the support of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. This year, Laureus’ core mission of using sport to make positive change in the world is also reflected in the United Nations International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) which champions a global theme of “Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers”.
At the heart of these Awards is a wider movement which transcends competition – and proves that it is not just the world’s greatest athletes who inspire change. Our six shortlisted programmes for the 2026 Laureus Sport for Good Award all understand one thing: To make the world a better place, you must be prepared to change it. They are all true innovators – Laureus-supported programmes who have pioneered fresh approaches to unlock the potential of young people through sport.
From our six, a winner will be chosen to share the stage with sporting legends at the most prestigious Awards show of the year. The Laureus Sport for Good Award highlights the amazing work these programmes do, with the support of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. This year, Laureus’ core mission of using sport to make positive change in the world is also reflected in the United Nations International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) which champions a global theme of “Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers”.
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Rugby for Good was founded in 2013 following the initial success of a series of launch programmes in Hong Kong, China. Since then, their classes and workshops – which specialise in supporting young people with ADHD, as well as their families – have helped over 30,000 children across 225 schools.
That work is woven into the fabric of their communities: each of their 16 current projects seeks to tackle pressing issues in Hong Kong – including gender parity and social exclusion – by teaching young people the values of leadership, teamwork and inclusivity. An innovative spirit shines through in the variety of projects that they offer, including work with deaf children, English language tuition through sport and support for domestic helpers and carers.
That work is woven into the fabric of their communities: each of their 16 current projects seeks to tackle pressing issues in Hong Kong – including gender parity and social exclusion – by teaching young people the values of leadership, teamwork and inclusivity. An innovative spirit shines through in the variety of projects that they offer, including work with deaf children, English language tuition through sport and support for domestic helpers and carers.
Through a pioneering combination of academic tuition and dance, MindLeaps has changed the lives of 10,000 children in Africa, Europe and the USA. MindLeaps champion a data-driven approach, utilising their in-house analytics to track how children respond to their classes, physically and mentally. These classes are paired alongside a wide variety of academic opportunities, such as computing or language classes, which offer a pathway into schools, universities or apprenticeships to which at-risk, vulnerable young people might not otherwise have access.
Cognitive development is the ultimate aim: the classes demand focus and offer the tangible reward of consistent improvement, incentivising a discipline and commitment that can be applied to other facets of life. MindLeaps also seek to offer life skills to young people and their families through workshops that explore nutrition, sanitation, sexual health and counselling.
Cognitive development is the ultimate aim: the classes demand focus and offer the tangible reward of consistent improvement, incentivising a discipline and commitment that can be applied to other facets of life. MindLeaps also seek to offer life skills to young people and their families through workshops that explore nutrition, sanitation, sexual health and counselling.
Another imaginative programme preparing young people for life beyond the classroom is A.S.D. Gruppo Sportivo Valanga. Based in Turin, their mission is to promote inclusivity for young people with disabilities, fostering life skills and empathy through a multi-sport diet of activities.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, local schools identified a need to strengthen physical education’s place in the curriculum, particularly for disabled children who were often left out. Crucially, their activities – which range from skiing to volleyball and ju-jitsu – involve both children with disabilities and their able-bodied peers. Through this approach, A.S.D. Gruppo Sportivo Valanga promote inclusivity, break down social stigmas – and ensure that all children enjoy sport in a supportive, welcoming environment.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, local schools identified a need to strengthen physical education’s place in the curriculum, particularly for disabled children who were often left out. Crucially, their activities – which range from skiing to volleyball and ju-jitsu – involve both children with disabilities and their able-bodied peers. Through this approach, A.S.D. Gruppo Sportivo Valanga promote inclusivity, break down social stigmas – and ensure that all children enjoy sport in a supportive, welcoming environment.
‘Joy’ is one of five founding principles for Fútbol Más, a non-governmental organisation set up in Chile in 2008. Now operating in 11 countries across South America, Europe and Africa, the 2023 Laureus Sport for Good Award Nominee supports at-risk children by involving them in football tournaments, held both in schools and local neighbourhoods.
Beyond the pitch, their work is equally vital. Whilst children and young people play, Fútbol Más’ specialists assist adults and community leaders, empowering them to make their local communities safer, more inclusive spaces. Fútbol Más have engaged with a network of some of the world’s most prominent sporting stars, including footballers Jude Bellingham and Thiago Alcântara, sharing their message on a global level and shedding a light on the valuable work that they do around the world.
Beyond the pitch, their work is equally vital. Whilst children and young people play, Fútbol Más’ specialists assist adults and community leaders, empowering them to make their local communities safer, more inclusive spaces. Fútbol Más have engaged with a network of some of the world’s most prominent sporting stars, including footballers Jude Bellingham and Thiago Alcântara, sharing their message on a global level and shedding a light on the valuable work that they do around the world.
Kings County Tennis League (KCTL) are similarly committed to improving their local community. In 2010, whilst playing on a neglected court in a housing development in Brooklyn, founder Michael McCasland had the idea to offer lessons to young people on the court during the summer. Sixteen years later, one development has become six, alongside 10 community centres and three other Brooklyn locations, offering access to tennis for nearly 1,000 young people.
Through a year-round programme of classes, workshops and games, KTCL give local youth between the ages of 5-18 the chance to play at a variety of levels, whether they want to improve their standard or just have fun. Beyond the lines, their work seeks to cultivate socio-emotional skills. Various speciality programmes use tennis to encourage goal management, inspire social inclusivity and promote self-respect, with a specific ‘GoGirlGo!’ programme aimed at boosting self-confidence and self-image among young girls.
Through a year-round programme of classes, workshops and games, KTCL give local youth between the ages of 5-18 the chance to play at a variety of levels, whether they want to improve their standard or just have fun. Beyond the lines, their work seeks to cultivate socio-emotional skills. Various speciality programmes use tennis to encourage goal management, inspire social inclusivity and promote self-respect, with a specific ‘GoGirlGo!’ programme aimed at boosting self-confidence and self-image among young girls.
Two programmes form the basis for Transformación Social TRASO’s work in Mexico. ‘Champions of Peace (CAPAZ)’ supports vulnerable children between six and 11 years old, whilst the ‘BE(SER): Healthy, Empowered and Responsible Youths’ programme supports teenagers from 12 to 15. Integral to both programmes is an innovative pairing of martial arts classes, alongside professionally-led psychological therapy and values-based workshops. The unique combination allows their attendees to become emotionally resilient, tackling the various challenges of their lives in a safe environment, through mental support and physical activity.
From Chile to Turin, the courts of Brooklyn to the rugby pitches of Hong Kong, our shortlisted programmes have all changed the game. Each one of them deserves their place alongside the world champions and global superstars on the shortlists for this year’s Awards. And on April 20, at the Palacio de Cibiles in the heart of Madrid, one of them will take to the same stage as the world’s greatest athletes and raise the Laureus in celebration not just of their own work, but of that undertaken by more than 300 Laureus Sport for Good programmes which use the power of sport to change the world.
The Laureus World Sports Awards are a rare moment when Sport for Development has a global platform alongside mainstream sport and the worlds greatest athletes; the inclusion of grassroots social programmes in the Awards is an inspiration and an education for the audience of millions following across media channels all over the world. That is something worth celebrating – alongside the winners themselves.
The Laureus World Sports Awards are a rare moment when Sport for Development has a global platform alongside mainstream sport and the worlds greatest athletes; the inclusion of grassroots social programmes in the Awards is an inspiration and an education for the audience of millions following across media channels all over the world. That is something worth celebrating – alongside the winners themselves.
