Sebastian Coe and Edwin Moses pay tribute to Olympians with 5 days to go until Laureus Awards
March 6, 2013
The exceptional performances from the world’s athletes at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London have produced over 20 Nominations for the 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards. Now the London 2012 stars have just days to wait to discover if they have won coveted Laureus Awards.
Talking of his compatriots Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah, Andy Murray, David Weir and Bradley Wiggins, Laureus World Sports Academy Member and Olympic legend Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: “I am not at all surprised that so many British athletes have been nominated for Laureus Awards after the superb showing by the British team in London. All five that have been shortlisted reached personal milestones at the Olympics and of course Andy Murray at the US Open and Bradley Wiggins in the Tour de France achieved massive sporting breakthroughs away from London as well.
“Any one of the five deserves to win a Laureus Award for their great sporting successes in 2012 in what was a remarkable year for British sport. We wanted the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games to leave a legacy and encourage young people in the UK and around the world to take up sport and it is the example of great sportsmen and women like these which will provide the role models for the sports stars of tomorrow.”
Turning his attention to other stars from around the world, Laureus World Sports Academy Chairman Edwin Moses, a double Olympic champion at 400 metres hurdles, added: “In an Olympic year you are likely to see a strong group of Nominees and this year is exceptional. You read through the names in each category and you could make a good case for any of them to win. The Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award particularly is going to be one of the closest contests ever when you look at Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and newcomers like Mo Farah and Bradley Wiggins. But the list goes on, in every category and across every sport. This really is the crème de la crème.”
To be the first for updates and behind the scenes insight from the 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards follow on Twitter and keep an eye on the official Laureus facebook page.