Rio de Janeiro to stage 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards

·        ‘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’ – says Laureus Chairman Edwin Moses

·        ‘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’ – says Sérgio Cabral, Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro

·         Pictures for media use on www.laureusarchive.com

LONDON, September 8, 2012 - The 2013 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 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. 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.

The winners of Laureus World Sports Awards are selected by the ultimate sports jury - the 46 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, the living legends of sport honouring the greatest athletes of today. 

Among the sports stars who have been named as winners at previous Awards Ceremonies have been Jenson Button, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Alex Ferguson, Lewis Hamilton, Kelly Holmes, Rafael Nadal, Pelé, Oscar Pistorius, Raì, Steve Redgrave, Ronaldo, Michael Schumacher, Kelly Slater, Shaun White, Serena Williams and Zinedine Zidane. Guests attending the Awards Ceremony have included His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, David and Victoria Beckham, Sean Connery, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Morgan Freeman, Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey.

Members of the Laureus World Sports Academy volunteer their time to act as global ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, whose mission is to use sport as the means to combat some of the world’s toughest social challenges facing young people today such as juvenile crime, gangs, HIV/AIDS, discrimination, social exclusion, landmines awareness and health problems such as obesity. Since its inception Laureus has raised over €55 million to support community sports projects around the world.

Laureus is a long standing supporter of the Luta Pela Paz project in Complexo da Maré, in Rio de Janeiro, where boxing and martial arts are used to empower young people and combat gang violence. More recently, Laureus has joined forces with Luta Pela Paz to help them train grassroots organisations around the world to use boxing and martial arts as a social and educational tool.  For more information see http://www.fightforpeace.net/?page_id=107

The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy are: Giacomo Agostini, Marcus Allen, Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker, Ian Botham, Sergey Bubka, Bobby Charlton, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci, Yaping Deng, Marcel Desailly, Kapil Dev, Mick Doohan, David Douillet, Emerson Fittipaldi, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mika Häkkinen, Tony Hawk, Mike Horn, Miguel Indurain, Michael Johnson, Kip Keino, Franz Klammer, Dan Marino, Edwin Moses (Chairman), Nawal El Moutawakel, Robby Naish, Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, Alexey Nemov, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Steve Redgrave, Vivian Richards, Monica Seles, Mark Spitz, Daley Thompson, Alberto Tomba, Steve Waugh and Katarina Witt.

Laureus was founded by its Patrons Daimler and Richemont and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz and IWC Schaffhausen.

A VNR will be available for download from 2:00pm at: https://laureus-ftp1.iweb-ftp.co.uk/

Username: laureus-rio

Password: 2013

For further information, please contact:

Tel: +44 (0)20 7514 2749

E mail: [email protected]

Photo Archive: www.laureusarchive.com

Video Archive: www.laureusdigital.com

Websites: www.laureus.com

The Patron of Laureus is Nelson Mandela.  At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000, President Mandela said: “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. Sport can awaken hope where there was previously only despair.” This has become the philosophy of Laureus; the driving force behind its work.

Laureus is a universal movement that celebrates the power of sport to bring people together as a force for good.  Laureus is composed of three core elements - the Laureus World Sports Academy, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and the Laureus World Sports Awards - which collectively celebrate sporting excellence and use sport as the means to promote social change.

The Laureus Academy members volunteer their services as global ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which was set up to promote the use of sport as a tool for social change. The Foundation addresses social challenges through a worldwide programme of sports related community development initiatives. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over €55 million for projects which have helped to improve the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people. The mission of the Laureus Foundation is to use sport as the means to combat some of the world’s toughest social challenges facing young people today such as juvenile crime, gangs, HIV/AIDS, discrimination, social exclusion, landmines awareness and health problems like obesity. The Academy is supported in its work by the members of the Laureus Ambassadors programme, a select group of current and retired sportsmen and sportswomen who have achieved sporting greatness, plus non-sporting personalities who have made significant contributions to the sporting community during their careers. 

The Laureus World Sports Awards is the premier global sports awards honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year.  The winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury - the 46 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, the living legends of sport honouring the great athletes of today.  The Awards are presented at an annual Awards Ceremony, attended by global figures from sport and entertainment, which is broadcast to 120 countries and territories.  

There is a two-part voting process to find the winners of the Laureus World Sports Awards.  Firstly, a Selection Panel of the world’s leading sports editors, writers and broadcasters from over 120 countries votes to create a shortlist of six Nominations in various categories, including Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, Laureus World Team of the Year, Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year and Laureus World Comeback of the Year.  Then the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy vote by secret ballot to select the Award winners from the shortlist. The Laureus Academy Members also vote for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disabilityand the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year, the Nominations for which are made by specialist panels. 

Laureus was founded by its Patrons Richemont and Daimler and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz and IWC Schaffhausen.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz, the world’s oldest automaker, can look back on a unique tradition. It is the most valuable automotive premium brand which stands for quality, safety, comfort, design and sustainable mobility. Mercedes-Benz enjoys an excellent reputation, particularly in the field of safety. Many pioneering technical innovations that are standard automotive features today were first seen in a Mercedes-Benz car. The Mercedes-Benz engineers will in the future consistently reinvent the automobile – with the same enthusiasm and innovation as Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz in 1886. Moreover, Mercedes-Benz has been actively supporting professional and amateur sport for decades and has become established as a dependable partner in the fields of motor sport, football, golf, horse riding and tennis.  Mercedes-Benz is a Global Partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Since the beginning of the Foundation's operations in 2000, Mercedes-Benz has shared and supported the goals and values of this worldwide charity programme where sports play the core role in the fight against social issues - Laureus has become a vital element of the corporate social responsibility programme of Mercedes-Benz.

IWC Schaffhausen

With a clear focus on technology and development, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has been producing watches of lasting value since 1868. The company has gained an international reputation based on a passion for innovative solutions and technical ingenuity. One of the world’s leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of Haute Horlogerie at its finest, combining supreme precision with exclusive design.