Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award

Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award
Awarded forlifetime achievement in sport
LocationSeville (2021)[1]
Presented byLaureus Sport for Good Foundation
First awarded2000
Currently held byBillie Jean King (USA)[2]
WebsiteOfficial website

The Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award is an award honouring the achievements of those individuals who have made a significant contribution to the world of sports. It was first awarded in 2000 as one of the inaugural awards presented during the Laureus World Sports Awards.[3] The awards are presented by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, a global organisation involved in more than 150 charity projects supporting 500,000 young people.[4] The first ceremony was held on 25 May 2000 in Monte Carlo, at which Nelson Mandela gave the keynote speech.[5] The recipient is presented with a Laureus statuette, created by Cartier, at an annual awards ceremony held in various locations around the world.[6] Although the Laureus Awards ceremony is held annually, the Lifetime Achievement Award is not necessarily presented every time; it is one of a number of discretionary awards that can be given by the Laureus World Sports Academy.[3] The awards are considered highly prestigious and are frequently referred to as the sporting equivalent of "Oscars".[7][8][9]

The inaugural Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Brazilian footballer Pelé. Since then, thirteen further awards have been given to individuals, all men with the exception of Moroccan athlete Nawal El Moutawakel (2010). Footballers have received more awards than any other sports with five, and only Great Britain has multiple winners with three: Steve Redgrave (2001), Bobby Charlton (2012) and Sebastian Coe (2013). As of 2020, two individuals have been honoured posthumously. The New Zealand yachtsman Peter Blake was shot dead by pirates on the Amazon River in December 2001.[10] Arne Næss Jr., the Norwegian mountaineer, died in a climbing accident in South Africa four months before the 2004 ceremony.[11] No award was presented at the 2005, 2009, or 2017 Laureus Awards ceremonies;[12] American tennis player Billie Jean King won the award in the 2021 Laureus Awards ceremony in Seville.[2] The most recent recipient of the award is quarterback Tom Brady.

  1. ^ "Seville is Host City for 2021 Laureus Awards". Laureus. 13 April 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Laureus World Sports Awards: Naomi Osaka, Rafael Nadal, Bayern Munich, Lewis Hamilton win". BBC Sport. 6 May 2021. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b "The awards". Laureus. Archived from the original on 18 March 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  4. ^ Snook, Ian (20 April 2016). "It's more than just an award". Taranaki Daily News. Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017 – via Stuff.co.nz.
  5. ^ Sugden, John; Tomlinson, Alan (30 April 2017). Sport and Peace-Building in Divided Societies: Playing with Enemies. Taylor and Francis. p. 163. ISBN 978-1-136-29233-0.
  6. ^ "Did you know?". Laureus. Archived from the original on 18 March 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  7. ^ Lewis, Aimee (15 February 2017). "Usain Bolt and Simone Biles dominate at 'Sport's Oscars'". CNN. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Nico Rosberg mit dem Sport-Oscar geehrt". Die Welt (in German). 15 February 2017. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Schumacher wins sporting 'Oscar'". BBC Sport. 14 May 2002. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  10. ^ Bellos, Alex; Fisher, Bob (7 December 2001). "Peter Blake, the world's leading sailor, shot dead in attack by Amazon pirates". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  11. ^ Mohan, K. P. (12 May 2004). "Schumacher, Sorenstam voted best". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference noaward was invoked but never defined (see the help page).