Prime Minister David Cameron welcomes Laureus and more than 100 sportsmen and women to No.10 to cele
LONDON, February 6, 2012 – British Prime Minister David Cameron was presented with a special edition of the prestigious Laureus Statuette as he welcomed a unique collection of the most famous names in the world of sport, past and present, to a reception at No 10 Downing Street ahead of the Laureus World Sports Awards.
The state rooms of one of the most historic addresses in the world were alive with Olympic and Paralympic gold medal winners, World Cup winners, Grand Slam winners and world record holders, just hours before the Laureus Awards Ceremony began at Central Hall, Westminster.
Laureus Chairman Edwin Moses presented Mr Cameron with the Laureus Statuette, which is presented to all winners of Laureus Awards and which will now be on display at 10 Downing Street.
At the reception, Mr Cameron also announced the launch of the Sport is GREAT campaign, part of the Government’s drive to promote Britain abroad in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Laureus is the first partner to support the sport component of the campaign which celebrates the rich history, culture and ongoing legacy of sport in Britain.
The Prime Minister said: "2012 is a GREAT year for this country. It is fantastic to have Laureus here as our partner, celebrating our sporting history, culture and traditions, and recognising the inspirational power of sport as excitement builds towards the London 2012 Olympic Games."
Edwin Moses added: “It was a great honour for the Academy Members, Nominees and Guests to go to 10 Downing Street and meet the Prime Minister. Laureus is founded on a belief in the inspirational power of sport and we have seen how it can transform lives all over the world and right here in the UK. For over ten years, we have been supporting grassroots sporting programmes across the UK that are supporting young people in situations of extreme hardship and deprivation. In 2009, the Prime Minister joined my fellow Academy Member Daley Thompson on a cycle ride to visit some of these projects and raise awareness about how sport can be used to tackle the underlying causes of gun and knife crime. We are delighted to be back at No.10 to celebrate the power of sport and support the Government campaign highlighting the great sporting attributes of Great Britain.”
Throughout 2012, partners will take it in turns to be guest editors of the GREAT Facebook Hub, and currently Laureus is in the editor’s chair. This can be viewed at www.facebook.com/ThisisGREATBritain.
