With a week to go before the 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards in Abu Dhabi, high-profile stars from the world of sport continue to show their support for the event, widely regarded as the premier global sports awards honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year.

England football coach Fabio Capello; World Heavweight Champion boxer Vitali Klitschko; Germany Women’s football coach Silvia Neid; South Africa rugby coach Peter de Villiers; and American 400 metres World Champion Sanya Richards are the latest sporting celebrities to confirm their attendance for the globally televised Awards Ceremony, taking place on 10th March in the United Arab Emirates capital.

They join a wealth of other big names including cricket stalwarts, Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff and Michael Vaughan from England, Shaun Pollock from South Africa and Steve Waugh from Australia; Iranian tennis legend and crowd favourite, Mansour Bahrami; British track star, Dame Kelly Homes; Irish boxing marvel, Barry McGuigan; and ex-South African Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar.

Double Olympic gold medallist Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, said: “This promises to be one of the best Awards we have ever staged. Already we have many great sportsmen and sportswomen, past and present, coming to Abu Dhabi. It was a thrilling year for sport and we look forward to celebrating that at a memorable Awards Ceremony. The Nominations reflect the immense strength of sport at the moment.”

The Laureus World Sports Awards winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury - the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, the living legends of sport honouring the greatest athletes of today.

A cacophony of the Laureus World Sports Academy and the Laureus Friends & Ambassadors programme have already signed-up for the event, which will mark the first time the Awards have been staged in the Middle East.

From the racing fraternity, Giacomo Agostini, the Italian multi-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Mika Häkkinen, the two-time Formula One World Champion; and British racing legend, David Coulthard will join tennis and cricket stars, Sir Ian Botham, OBE, who was recently was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame; Kapil Dev, one of India’s greatest cricketers; Brian Lara, widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time; and Monica Seles, former World No. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Also flying in for the event will be football legend, Franz Beckenbauer; golf stalwart, Gary Player; American professional skateboarder, Tony Hawk; English Rower, Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave, who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000; and Morne du Plessis, the former South African rugby union player who is often described as one of the Springboks’ most successful captains.

In addition, a wealth of athletic stars will also be present such as, Serhiy Bubka, the Ukrainian pole vaulter who was repeatedly voted the world’s best athlete; Romanian gymnast, Nadia Comãneci, winner of three Olympic gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event; Moroccan hurdler, Nawal El Moutawakel, who won the inaugural women’s 400 m hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics; and the UK’s Daley Thompson, who is considered by many to be the greatest decathlete of all time.

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.
 

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