Laureus World Sports Awards 2014
ALL
BLACKS, BAYERN MUNICH, MIAMI HEAT AND RED BULL RACING AMONG BIG-HITTERS
FIGHTING FOR NOMINATION FOR 2014 LAUREUS WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD
·
Bryan Twins in the running after historic tennis ‘Golden
Slam’
·
British and Irish Lions head strong rugby challenge
for Nomination
·
European Solheim Cup Team are contenders
after first win in US
·
World’s media vote for SIX Nominees for
Laureus Team Award
·
15th
Laureus World Sports Awards in Kuala Lumpur on March 26
LONDON, February 20, 2014 – A blue chip
collection of some of the greatest teams in the world are in the running for
Nomination for the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards.
Champions League winners Bayern Munich, NBA
champions Miami Heat, Formula 1 Constructors’ World Champions Red Bull Racing
and New Zealand’s All Blacks are all strong contenders, while the Bryan Twins
are also attracting support after completing a tennis doubles’ Golden Slam.
The Laureus World Sports Awards, now
celebrating its 15th year, is recognised as the premier honours
event in the international sporting calendar. The names of the six Nominees for the Laureus World Team of the
Year Award, as voted by the Laureus Media Selection Panel, will be announced
later this month and the winner
unveiled at the Awards Ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on March 26.
Bayern Munich look
favourites to become one of the Nominees after they were the first club to
complete the treble of UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup. In the
Bundesliga, they lost only one match and created many records: most points in a
season (91); highest winning points margin (25); most wins (29); fewest goals
conceded (18). Six players were nominated for
the FIFA Player of the Year Award: Philipp Lahm, Thomas Mueller, Manuel Neuer,
Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger, with Ribery making the final
shortlist of three.
Miami Heat
captured the NBA title for the second year running, after a dramatic game seven
in the NBA Finals against San Antonio Spurs which the Heat won 95-88. Inevitably the
hero was LeBron James who scored 37 points, equalling
the record for an NBA Finals game seven. He was also named Finals MVP for the
second straight season. Dwyane Wade scored 23 and Shane Battier had
18. In five seasons coach Erik Spoelstra has now lead the Heat to five
play-offs and two Championship wins.
New Zealand’s All Blacks
continued their superb run of form winning all 14 of their Test matches for a
100% record in 2013 – the first time a national team has achieved this since
the game went professional. Lead by veteran Richie McCaw, the team includes
Kieran Read at No 8, the International Player of the Year, and fly-half Dan
Carter, the highest points scorer in Test match rugby.
Red Bull Racing won the Formula 1
Constructors’ World Championship for the fourth straight year in 2013.
Sebastian Vettel secured the drivers’ championship, winning 13 Grand Prix
during the year, including a run of nine straight victories, while co-driver
Mark Webber had eight podium finishes. The team’s Adrian Newey became the first
car designer to win ten drivers' and ten constructors' titles.
On July 6, American twins Bob and Mike Bryan won their third
Wimbledon - their 15th career Grand Slam title - which made them the first
doubles pair to hold all four major titles and the Olympic gold medal at the
same time, giving them a historic Golden Slam. The 35-year-olds have won more
matches, more tournaments and more Grand Slams than any other pair. In April
they secured their 800th win.
In addition to Bayern Munich, several other football teams have strong
credentials for Nomination. Under coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, Brazil won a record fourth Confederations
Cup, beating Spain 3-0 in the final, ending the World Cup holders unbeaten run
of 29 matches in competitive football. The Germany
Women’s Football Team won their sixth straight European Championship with a
1-0 win over Norway in the final in Stockholm. And Nigeria beat Burkina Faso 1-0 in front of 85,000 in
Johannesburg in February to win the Africa Cup of Nations for the third time.
In rugby, the British
and Irish Lions won their first Test series since 1997, beating Australia
2-1. Coach Warren Gatland and captain Sam Warburton filled the same roles for
the Lions as they do for the Wales Rugby Team, which won the European
Six Nations Championship for the second straight year and provided the bulk of
the players for the Lions.
Under coach Bernard Laporte, Rugby
Club Toulonnais won their first ever Heineken Cup in 2013 - their only
major trophy in 20 years - thanks to a wonderful defence and the brilliant
kicking of Jonny Wilkinson, who was named European Player of the Year.
The
European Solheim Cup Team won in the
United States for the first time with a 18-10 victory in Colorado. It was also
the first time that Europe have retained the trophy. Brilliantly lead by
captain Liselotte Neumann, Europe had six rookies in their squad - Carlota Ciganda,
Charley Hull, Caroline Masson, Beatriz Recari, Giulia Sergas and Jodi Ewart
Shadoff.
In addition to
Miami Heat, three other American teams have strong claims for Nomination. Baltimore Ravens beat San Francisco 49ers 34-31 to win their second
Super Bowl, at the end of the 2012/13 season. The Ravens have had
great success since moving from Cleveland, making the play-offs nine times
since 2000, with two Super Bowl victories. Alabama Crimson Tide won their second straight college football title
under coach Nick Saban and their third in four years, beating Notre Dame 42-14.
Saban is the first coach to win back-to-back BCS titles. In ice hockey. Chicago Blackhawks beat Boston Bruins 4-2 to win the Stanley Cup for the second time
in four seasons.
The Spain Handball Team won their second
World Championship in style after they defeated favourites and European title
holders Denmark 35-19 on home ground in Barcelona, while Team Sky won
their second straight Tour de France through Chris Froome.
The Laureus World
Sports Awards recognise sporting
achievement during the calendar year 2013. The names of the six Nominees for the Laureus World Team of the
Year Award, as voted by the Laureus Media Selection Panel, comprising leading
sports editors, sports writers, broadcasters and online journalists from around
the world, will be announced on Wednesday, February 26, along with the names of
Nominees from six other categories.
The eventual winners will then be chosen in a
secret ballot 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 – and unveiled at the
Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony, to be staged in Kuala Lumpur on
Wednesday, March 26.
Proceeds from
the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the
Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports more than 140 sports-based community
projects in 34 countries around the world that have helped to improve the lives
of over one-and-a-half million young people.
Among those
who have been honoured at previous Awards Ceremonies are Sebastian Coe, Novak
Djokovic, Roger Federer, Alex Ferguson, Lewis Hamilton, Rafael Nadal, Pelé, Michael
Phelps, Steve Redgrave, Ronaldo, Michael Schumacher, Kelly Slater, 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.
YB Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri, Minister of
Tourism & Culture of Malaysia, said: “Kuala Lumpur is honoured to
have been given the privilege of hosting the prestigious 2014 Laureus World
Sports Awards and the city looks forward to staging this
internationally-renowned event and welcoming a plethora of sporting legends to
Malaysia. This is a sports-loving country and I can promise warm Malaysian
hospitality awaits all our guests. Coupled with international events such as
the Monsoon Cup and Formula One Grand Prix, we are supremely confident that
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is the perfect host for a sporting event with such
global significance. I am positive this will be an event to remember for
all involved.”
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,
education and health problems such as obesity. Since its inception Laureus has
raised over €60 million to support projects around the world.
For more information please contact:
Video Archive: http://www.digitalnewsagency.com/laureus
Website: www.laureus.com
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