The official press release:
[quote]
Record Third Laureus for Federer; Italy Win Team Award; Isinbayeva is Sportswoman of Year; Serena Williams Wins Comeback
BARCELONA, April 2, 2007 – Swiss tennis star
Roger Federer has made history by becoming the first ever recipient of three Laureus World Sports Awards. Federer was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, for the third straight time, at the 2007 Awards Ceremony in Barcelona, after another highly successful 12 months in which he won Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open.
Tennis was the big winner in Barcelona as American
Serena Williams took the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award following her Australian Open victory, and France’s
Amélie Mauresmo won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award after her first two Grand Slam victories.
The Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award went to Russia’s brilliant pole-vaulter
Yelena Isinbayeva, while
Italy won the Laureus World Team of the Year Award after their World Cup success in Germany last summer.
There was an enthusiastic reception at the Awards Ceremony, staged at the Palau Sant Jordi, as FC Barcelona won the Laureus Spirit of Sport Award for their support of UNICEF. German football legend
Franz Beckenbauer, President of the German 2006 World Cup Organising Committee, won the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award.
American surfer
Kelly Slater was a popular winner of the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award after becoming World Champion for a record eighth time.
Germany’s brilliant mono-skier
Martin Braxenthaler was named Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability, after winning three gold medals in the Winter Paralympic Games.
The Laureus Sport for Good Award went to Britain’s
Luke Dowdney for his work in founding the Fight for Peace boxing project which helps young people from the slums of Rio de Janeiro whose lives are blighted by violence and drug trafficking.
The Laureus World Sports Awards is the only global sports awards honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year. The winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury - the 44 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, a collection of the world’s greatest sportsmen and women. The living legends of sport honouring the great athletes of today.
The Awards Ceremony, held in the presence of His Majesty The King of Spain, was attended by global figures from sport, entertainment, business and fashion. Among the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy present were: Giacomo Agostini, Marcus Allen, Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker, Sergey Bubka, Bobby Charlton, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci, Deng Yaping, Marcel Desailly, David Douillet, Morné du Plessis, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Tony Hawk, Mike Horn, Miguel Indurain, Kip Keino, Franz Klammer, Edwin Moses, Nawal El Moutawakel, Robby Naish, Ilie Nastase, Hugo Porta, Monica Seles, Mark Spitz, Daley Thompson, Alberto Tomba, Steve Waugh and Katarina Witt.
Among the guests were Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, star of films like Million Dollar Baby, Driving Miss Daisy, The Unforgiven and The Shawshank Redemption, and popular stars Eva Longoria and Kyle MacLachlan from US TV show Desperate Housewives, along with Argentinian super model Valeria Mazza and celebrated Spanish flamenco dancer Joaquin Cortes.
Jordi Hereu i Boher, Mayor of Barcelona, said: “I congratulate all the winners. Barcelona has been delighted to welcome the Laureus World Sports Awards for the second time and we are very pleased with the results. It has been a wonderful opening to our ‘Year of Sport’ which began in March 2007 and which celebrates the 15th anniversary of the highly successful Olympic Games which were held in Barcelona in 1992.â€Â
