LONDON, January 28, 2010 - Spectacular performances at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin and the World Swimming Championships in Rome, plus a remarkable year by the world’s top women’s skier Lindsey Vonn, have produced a string of impressive contenders for nomination for the 2010 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award.

The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievement during the period January 1, 2009 - December 31, 2009, are recognised as the premier honours on the international sporting calendar. The names of the six Nominees for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, as voted by the Laureus Media Selection Panel, will be announced next month.

The eventual winners, chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury made up of 46 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time, will be unveiled during a televised Awards Ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, March 10, 2010.

Lindsey Vonn proved herself to be one of the greatest skiers of all time after she won the overall World Cup title for the second straight year in 2009. The 25-year-old American also won the World Cup for individual Downhill and Super-G disciplines and took two gold medals in the World Championships in Val d’Isere. Her scintillating year made her the most successful American women’s skier in World Cup history and the first American to win back-to-back overall World Cup titles. In the Super-G at Tarviso in February, she skied to her 19th World Cup race victory, surpassing Tamara McKinney’s American record.

In the pool in Rome, the fastest woman in the world, Germany’s Britta Steffen, won two gold medals in world record times at the World Swimming Championships, including the blue riband 100 metres freestyle, with a time of 52.07 secs, beating her own record of 52.22 which she had set four days earlier. Two days later she won her second title in the women's 50 metres freestyle, again breaking the world record with a time of 23.73 secs. Her amazing year followed her double Olympic triumph in 2008 when she won gold in the 50 and 100 metres freestyle.

In front of the passionate Rome crowd, Italy’s Federica Pellegrini, at 21, became the first woman to break the four minute barrier in the 400 metres freestyle as she swam to the gold medal in the 2009 World Championships. Her time of 3 mins 59.15 secs turned her into the biggest star of the championships and put her on the front cover of Vanity Fair magazine where she appeared painted head to toe in gold paint. She also won the 200 metres freestyle gold medal in a world record time.

There were several outstanding displays in track and field during the World Championships in Berlin. American Allyson Felix’s victory in the 200 metres made her the only woman ever to win the event three times. She had become the youngest ever gold medal winning sprinter at the age of 19, when she first won the World Championship in Helsinki in 2005.

Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser added the World Championship 100 metres gold medal to the Olympic gold medal she won in Beijing the previous year. She is the only female sprinter to hold both World and Olympic 100m titles simultaneously.

American Sanya Richards has been the No 1 at 400 metres for five years, but was not able to win an individual gold medal in Olympic or World competition until Berlin, where she crossed the line in 49.00 secs to win the individual 400 metres title. She also anchored the US team in the 4x400m relay for a second gold. Born in the same part of Jamaica as Usain Bolt, she moved to the US when she was 12. In 2009, she ran the four fastest times in the world and won a share of the US$1m Golden League jackpot for the third time in her career, after winning at the six Golden League meetings.

After a disappointing 2008 when she failed to win Olympic gold and the Golden League by the narrowest of margins, Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic stormed back in 2009 to win the World Championship high jump gold medal, then 11 days later cleared 2.08 metres – the second best high jump ever.

In other sports, South Korea’s Ji Yai Shin, 21, led the money list on the LPGA Tour in her first full year, winning over US$1.8 million, and also securing the LPGA Rookie of the Year Award. Despite a slow start, during a spectacular 2009, she won three times – the HSBC Women’s Championship, the Wegmans LPGA and the P&G Beauty event.

American tennis star Serena Williams won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2009 to take her total of career Grand Slam singles victories to 11, putting her seventh on the all-time list. She regained the World No 1 ranking for the fifth time in her career in November. However her excellent year was somewhat spoiled at the US Open after a widely reported on-court row with a lineswoman who foot-faulted her at 5-6, 15-30 in the final set of the semi-final against Kim Clijsters.

British athlete Chrissie Wellington once again dominated the ultimate triathlon and remained unbeaten in the event. Her victory in the 2009 Ironman Triathlon, the sport’s world championship, was her third straight win. In her October victory in Hawaii, she set a new course record of 8 hrs 54:02 mins, beating Paula Newby-Fraser’s record which had stood since 1992. She is famed for having won the event for the first time in 2007, less than a year after turning professional at the age of 30.

Laureus World Sports Academy member and Olympic Downhill champion Franz Klammer said: “I am hoping that Lindsey Vonn will be nominated. She is a fantastic talent in my own sport of skiing. Not only is she a brilliant Downhill and Super-G racer, but she has shown amazing consistency over the last two years. But she will not have it all her own way, there are some terrific athletes and swimmers like Britta Steffen and Federica Pellegrini who have had wonderful years. There are some excellent candidates and I know it is going to be a very difficult task for the media to choose just six of these great sportswoman as Nominees.”

H.E. Khadem Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Aabar Investments PJSC, host partner of the 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards, said: “We are delighted that Abu Dhabi has been chosen to host the 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards. Sport is close to the hearts of all our people. Abu Dhabi is a city that harmoniously combines historic traditions and modern values. I am confident that active construction of sport facilities and creation of well-developed infrastructure makes Abu Dhabi an ideal venue for sports events of global significance. I am confident that our partnership with the Laureus World Sports Awards will be enormously successful.

“Aabar Investments PJSC, as the host partner of the event, is honoured to bring this prestigious occasion to Abu Dhabi and to play a pivotal role in an event that touches the lives of so many globally. As a universal language, sports have no boundaries and create a positive impact on future generations. Aabar hopes to enhance awareness of the importance of sport to society and to develop its relationship with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation,” he added.

Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, offers a fascinating combination of the old and the new; a blend of Arabic 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 great sporting venue. The Laureus World Sports Awards is the latest high profile sports event to be staged in Abu Dhabi. Last year FIFA chose Abu Dhabi to stage football’s World Club Championship, and the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship are now highlights of the sporting calendar in the city.

There is a two-part voting process to find the winners of the Laureus World Sports Awards. Firstly, a Selection Panel of the world’s leading sports editors, writers and broadcasters from over 150 countries votes to create a shortlist of six nominations in various categories including Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, Laureus World Team of the Year, Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year and Laureus World Comeback of the Year. Then the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy vote by secret ballot to select the Award winners.

The Laureus Academy members also vote for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability and the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year, the nominations for which are made by specialist panels.

For further information please contact:
Mal Thompson
Laureus Global Communications
Tel: +44 (0)20 7514 2863
Fax: +44 (0)20 7514 2837
Email: publicrelations@laureus.com
Website: www.laureus.com
For photos of Laureus events please visit www.laureusarchive.com
NB: Information correct at time of going to press

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Patron of Laureus is Nelson Mandela. At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000, President Mandela said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Sport can awaken hope where there was previously only despair.” This has become the philosophy of Laureus; the driving force behind its work.

Laureus is a universal movement that celebrates the power of sport to bring people together as a force for good. Laureus is composed of three core elements - the Laureus World Sports Academy, the Laureus World Sports Awards and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation - which collectively celebrate sporting excellence and harness the power of sport to promote social change.

The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy are: Giacomo Agostini, Marcus Allen, Severiano Ballesteros, Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker, Ian Botham, Sergey Bubka, Bobby Charlton, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci, Yaping Deng, Marcel Desailly, Kapil Dev, David Douillet, Emerson Fittipaldi, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mika Häkkinen, Tony Hawk, Mike Horn, Miguel Indurain, Michael Johnson, Kip Keino, Franz Klammer, Dan Marino, John McEnroe, Edwin Moses (Chairman), Nawal El Moutawakel, Robby Naish, Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, Alexey Nemov, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Vivian Richards, Monica Seles, Mark Spitz, Daley Thompson, Alberto Tomba, Steve Waugh and Katarina Witt.

The Laureus Academy members volunteer their services as global ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which was set up to promote the use of sport as a tool for social change. The Foundation addresses social challenges through a worldwide programme of sports related community development initiatives. Since its inception Laureus has raised €20 million for projects which have helped improve the lives of more than one million young people. The Foundation addresses issues in particular involving, but not limited to, young people impacted by social exclusion, gun and gang violence, discrimination, community integration, peace and reconciliation, and education.

The Laureus World Sports Awards is the premier global sports awards honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year. The winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury - the 46 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, the living legends of sport honouring the great athletes of today. The Awards are presented at an annual Awards Ceremony, attended by global figures from sport and entertainment, which is broadcast to 100 countries and territories.

Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which supports over 70 community sports projects around the world.

Laureus was founded by its Patrons Richemont and Daimler and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz, IWC Schaffhausen and Vodafone.

Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz, the world’s oldest automaker, can look back on a unique tradition. It is the most valuable automotive premium brand which stands for quality, safety, comfort, fascinating design and sustainable mobility. Mercedes-Benz enjoys an excellent reputation, particularly in the area of safety technology. Many pioneering technical innovations that are standard automotive features today were first seen in a Mercedes-Benz car. The Mercedes-Benz engineers will in future consistently reinvent the automobile – with the same enthusiasm and innovation like Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz in 1886. Mercedes-Benz is a Global Partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Since the beginning of the Foundations’ operations in 2000, Mercedes-Benz has shared and supported the goals and values of this worldwide charity programme where sports play the core role in the fight against social issues - Laureus has become a vital element of the corporate social responsibility programme of Mercedes-Benz.

IWC Schaffhausen
For more than 140 years, IWC Schaffhausen has been producing precision products of complex functionality and outstanding user-friendliness for watch connoisseurs who expect more from their watch than an accurate display. Since its foundation in 1868, the International Watch Company has built up a reputation as a long-established Swiss watchmaking firm with a passion for inventions, innovative solutions and technical refinements. Today the brand is more successful than at any time in its history. IWC uses this strength in a programme of corporate social responsibility initiatives at home and abroad. In 2005, IWC entered into a long-term commitment to become a Global Partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

Vodafone
Vodafone, the world's leading international mobile communications group, with over 323 million proportionate customers and equity interests in 31 countries across five continents and a further 40 partner networks worldwide, is supporting Laureus as a new Global Partner, with a five year agreement which began in 2008 and concludes in 2012. Vodafone is a long-standing supporter of sport sponsorship and is pleased to be part of an organisation that celebrates sporting excellence both at a grass roots level through the humanitarian work worldwide of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and at elite level through the annual Laureus World Sports Awards, which honours the achievements of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen.

Aabar Investments PJSC
Aabar is an investment company headquartered in Abu Dhabi. Its largest stakeholder is the International Petroleum Investment Company, which in turn is wholly owned by the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Aabar is supporting Laureus as the host partner for the 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards. Aabar is honoured to be given the chance to be part of the event and to bring it to Abu Dhabi. Aabar is looking forward to developing its relationship with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and introducing opportunities and projects to the region.