Kuala Lumpur to stage Laureus World Sports Awards

“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."

The 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards, the premier honours event in the international sporting calendar, is to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday, 26 March.

The globally televised Awards Ceremony, attended by living legends of sport, celebrates the achievements of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen each year.

This is the 15th year of the Laureus World Sports Awards and Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, said: “I am delighted that the 2014 Awards is to be staged in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is an exciting development that Laureus is being held in South East Asia for the first time, enabling the Laureus message to be extended to a new part of the world.

“Of course this will be a very emotional occasion as it is the first Awards since the death of our Patron, the great Nelson Mandela, and I am sure with the support of everyone in Kuala Lumpur it will be an Awards Ceremony to remember where we can salute today’s sporting heroes and pay tribute to President Mandela.”

One of the awards presented each year is the Laureus Sportsperson with a Disability Award. Previous winners have included:

2013 Daniel Dias (BRA) – Swimming

2012 Oscar Pistorius (RSA) – Athletics

2011 Verena Bentele (GER) – Nordic skiing

2010 Natalie Du Toit (RSA) – Swimming

2009 Daniel Dias (BRA) – Swimming

2008 Esther Vergeer (NED) – Wheelchair tennis

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. As 2014 has also been declared ‘Visit Malaysia Year’, there is no better time to visit and experience the multi-cultural heritage, mouth-watering food and unbeatable shopping Malaysia has to offer.

“We are proud to count badminton world No 1, Dato’ Lee Chong Wei, squash world champion Dato’ Nicol David and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in platform diving Pandelela Rinong as products of our sports culture. 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.”

Located strategically at the heart of South East Asia, Kuala Lumpur is blessed with rich natural resources, a progressive government and cost-competitive lifestyle. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), in its report ‘2012 Tourism Highlights’, ranked Malaysia as the tenth most popular destination in the world for international tourists. In 2013, Lonely Planet, the popular travel guide, ranked Malaysia among the top ten tourism destinations to be visited in the world.

The Awards Ceremony, which is attended by many of the greatest names in sport, past and present, and broadcast to a worldwide TV audience, will take place on the evening of Wednesday, 26 March. Further details about Awards attendees, the venue for the Awards Ceremony and the full programme of events will be announced in the coming weeks.

At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards 15 years ago, 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 and the driving force behind its work.

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 community sports projects around the world that have helped to improve the lives of over one-and-a-half million young people.

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.

Members of the Laureus World Sports Academy also 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, lack of education, landmines awareness and health problems such as obesity. Since its inception Laureus has raised over €60 million to support community sports projects around the world.