Laures Sports Academy Awards Victim Of Economic Meltdown

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oi-Staff

By Staff

Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 13:53

It's that time of the year when the sports persons from around the globe wait. It's the time when The Laures World Sports Academy confers the award to the winners - sports persons who have done exceptionally well in their field. Just like all these years, this time, too, it's a paned of leading sports editors, writers and broadcasters from 112 countries who have announced the Laureus Sports Awards for 2008-09, which includes six nominations in each category. But there seems to be a small problem now.

The organisers of the Laureus Awards ceremony say the gala event won't take place this year because of concerns related to the global economic crisis. The winners will instead receive their awards individually at a series of presentations in May and June.

	The award ceremony is considered as a premier event in the international sporting calendar honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year.

The Laureus World Sports Academy, comprising 46 sporting greats including Australians Waugh, Dawn Fraser and Cathy Freeman, select the winners by secret ballot. The award ceremony is considered as a premier event in the international sporting calendar honoring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year.

A panel of leading sports editors, writers and broadcasters from 112 countries announced the Laureus nominees for 2008-09, which includes six athletes in each category. Two of the their main categories had the listed players:

Sportsman of the Year
Usain Bolt (JAM) - Athletics
Lewis Hamilton (UK) - Formula One
Rafael Nadal (ESP) - Tennis
Michael Phelps (USA) - Swimming
Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) - soccer
Valentino Rossi (ITA) - Motorcycling

Sportswoman of the Year
Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) - Athletics
Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) - Athletics
Lorena Ochoa (MEX) - Golf
Stephanie Rice (AUS) - Swimming
Lindsey Vonn (USA) - Skiing
Venus Williams (USA) - Tennis