Hugely popular British film stars Hugh Grant and Clive Owen will be among the special guests at the 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards to be staged in Abu Dhabi on the evening of Wednesday, March 10.
They will be joined at the Awards Ceremony by American actors Kyle MacLachlan, star of Desperate Housewives, and Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Trudy Chacon in Avatar and was Ana Lucia Cortez in the TV series Lost.
The 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievement during the period January 1 – December 31, 2009, are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar. The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time. The living legends of sport honouring the great athletes of today.
Among the sporting celebrities attending the Awards Ceremony in Abu Dhabi are:
| Giacomo Agostini | Abdel Zaher El-Saka | Kip Keino | Steve Redgrave |
| Antoine Albeau | Julius Erving | Amir Khan | Sanya Richards |
| Marcus Allen | Justin Eveson | Taig Khris | Aaron Ross |
| Therese Alshammar | Mick Fanning | Franz Klammer | Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario |
| Brahim Asloum | Kurt Fearnley | Vitali Klitschko | Emilio Sanchez |
| Mansour Bahrami | Allyson Felix | Shingo Kunieda | Manuel de los Santos |
| Layne Beachley | Mark Fish | Brian Lara | Monica Seles |
| Franz Beckenbauer | Emerson Fittipaldi | Michael Lynagh | Yao Junior Senaya |
| Boris Becker | Sean Fitzpatrick | Danny MacAskill | Emma Snowsill |
| Bakkies Botha | Andrew Flintoff | Barry McGuigan | Britta Steffen |
| B J Botha | Dawn Fraser | Henry Maske | Michael Teuber |
| Ian Botham | Frankie Fredericks | Edwin Moses | Pablo Thiam |
| Sergey Bubka | Cathy Freeman | Nawal El Moutawakel | Daley Thompson |
| Jenson Button | Jan Frodeno | Dikembe Mutombo | Natalie du Toit |
| Fabio Capello | Stephanie Gilmore | Robbie Naish | Alberto Tomba |
| Chris Cole | Gizem Girismen | Silvia Neid | Libby Trickett |
| Nadia Comaneci | Mika Hakkinen | Alexey Nemov | Evonne Van Gennip |
| David Coulthard | Alan Hansen | Christine Ohuruogu | Michael Vaughan |
| Tom Daley | Tony Hawk | Francois Pienaar | Esther Vergeer |
| Kapil Dev | Kelly Holmes | Oscar Pistorius | Jean de Villiers |
| Deshun Deysel | Mike Horn | Morné du Plessis | Peter de Villiers |
| Daniel Dias | Edith Hunkeler | Shaun Pollock | Steve Waugh |
| Aly El Hamamsy | Butch James | Hugo Porta |
The names of the winners will be announced at a televised Awards Ceremony staged at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, which will also celebrate the first ten years in the life of Laureus.
The 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards will be supported by Host Partner Aabar Investments PJSC. Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, offers a fascinating combination of the old and the new; a blend of Arabian hospitality and mystique where a mixture of culture and tradition come together against a backdrop of the most modern world-class infrastructure. Abu Dhabi is developing a reputation as a leading international sporting venue.
The Laureus World Sports Awards is the latest high profile sports event to be staged in Abu Dhabi. Last year Abu Dhabi was chosen to stage football’s FIFA Club World Cup, and the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship are now highlights of the sporting calendar in the city.
The full list of Nominees for the 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards is:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia, Athletics), Usain Bolt (Jamaica, Athletics), Alberto Contador (Spain, Cycling), Roger Federer (Switzerland, Tennis), Lionel Messi (Argentina, Football), Valentino Rossi (Italy, Motor Cycling)
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Shelly-Ann Fraser (Jamaica, Athletics), Federica Pellegrini (Italy, Swimming), Sanya Richards (US, Athletics), Britta Steffen (Germany, Swimming), Lindsey Vonn (US, Skiing), Serena Williams (US, Tennis)
Laureus World Team of the Year
FC Barcelona (Spain, Football), Brawn GP Formula One Team (UK), Germany Women’s Football Team, Los Angeles Lakers (US, Basketball), New York Yankees (US, Baseball), South Africa Rugby Team
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year
Jenson Button (UK, Motor Racing), Mark Cavendish (UK, Cycling), Tom Daley (UK, Diving), Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina, Tennis), Ji Yai Shin (South Korea, Golf), VFL Wolfsburg (Germany, Football)
Laureus World Comeback of the Year
Lance Armstrong (US, Cycling), Kim Clijsters (Belgium, Tennis), Jessica Ennis (UK, Athletics), Brett Favre (US, American Football), Blanka Vlasic (Croatia, Athletics), Tom Watson (US, Golf)
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Justin Eveson (Australia, Wheelchair Basketball), Kurt Fearnley (Australia, Wheelchair Racing), Gizen Girismen (Turkey, Para-Archery), Shingo Kunieda (Japan, Wheelchair Tennis), Michael Teuber (Germany, Cycling), Natalie du Toit (S.Africa, Swimming)
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year
Antoine Albeau (France, Windsurfing), Chris Cole (US, Skateboarding), Mick Fanning (Australia, Surfing), Stephanie Gilmore (Australia, Surfing), Greg Long (US, Surfing), Danny MacAskill (UK, Trials Bikes)
For more detailed biographies of Nominees go to www.laureus.com/Awards/2010/Nominees
[flv]http://toffsmen.com/videos/edwin-moses.flv[/flv]
Edwin Moses – Chairman of Laureus Academy
