I would like to congratulate Yao Ming on this very special Award which is presented only at the discretion of the Academy. When he retired in 2011, the then NBA Commissioner David Stern said ‘Yao was a bridge between Chinese and American basketball fans with a wonderful mixture of talent, dedication and humanitarian aspirations’. I could not say it any better than that. He is one of those people who is a sporting legend, but who also shows a greater commitment than simply what happens in the sports hall. I am delighted that he has now agreed to become a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy.