Nominees for Laureus 2008 Announced

Daniel Dias, Swimming (Brazil)

Darren Kenny, Cycling (Great Britain)

Esther Vergeer, Wheelchair Tennis (The Netherlands)

Michael Teuber, Cycling (Germany)

Sarah Storey, Cycling (Great Britain)

A specialist panel consisting of members of the IPC Governing Board nominates the candidates for this category based on submissions from the IPC Membership. Sportsmen and women are eligible for nomination based on performances. The nominations from the specialist panel are submitted to the Laureus World Sports Academy, who then elects the award winner.

Additionally, Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius (South Africa) has been nominated in the category World Breakthrough of the Year 2008.

Laureus World Sports Academy Chairperson Edwin Moses said: “This has been a great year for sport and the Academy are going to find it extremely difficult to decide who to vote for as winners. We have had some thrilling world championships this year and a host of terrific individual performances. I congratulate all the nominees and now we look forward to what should be a great Awards Ceremony.”

The winners will be announced at the Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony on 18 February in St. Petersburg, Russia. The ceremony will be the highlight of two days exciting sports events.

The Laureus World Sports Awards celebrate sporting excellence across all disciplines and all continents. Awards are bestowed in a range of categories, including World Sportsman and World Sportswoman of the Year, World Team of the Year, World Breakthrough of the Year, World Comeback of the Year, World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability and World Action Sportsperson of the Year.

For more information, please see the official website at www.laureus.com.