Celebrated Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman will be among the special guests at the 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards to be staged in Abu Dhabi on the evening of Monday, February 7 and hosted by double Oscar winner Kevin Spacey.

Ronan Keating, who has sold more than 20 million records worldwide as a solo artist since leaving Boyzone, will be performing on stage, and also present will be Spanish actresses Elsa Pataky, who has appeared in 18 films in France and Spain and also played Elsa in the Samuel L Jackson film Snakes on a Plane, andPaz Vega, who was a star of 7 Vidas, a series billed as a Spanish Friends and has appeared in films such as Spanglish, The Spirit and co-starred with Morgan Freeman in 10 Items or Less.

The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievement, are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar.   The winners, as voted 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 at the globally televised Awards Ceremony at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Among the latest sports stars to confirm they will be attending is tennis world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki.  Some of the other stars of sport past and present include:

The Laureus World Sports Awards is returning to Abu Dhabi thanks to the support of Aabar Investments PJS, who will once again be Host Partner for the event.  His Excellency Khadem Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Aabar, said: "The Laureus World Sports Awards is a unique event. It was magnificent, a great success for Abu Dhabi when it was held here last March. The whole event was really superb. We will certainly try to do something special for this year’s Awards."

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 as host city for the FIFA Club World Cup, the Etihad Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, all highlights of the sporting calendar in the city.

Aabar Investments PJS is an investment company headquartered in Abu Dhabi. It invests in various sectors including aerospace, real estate, automotive and financial services. Its largest stakeholder is the International Petroleum Investment Company, which is wholly owned by the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which supports 83 community sports projects around the world. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over €40 million for projects which have helped to improve the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people. 

The full list of Nominees for the 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards is:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
Kobe Bryant (US, basketball), Andres Iniesta (Spain, football), Lionel Messi (Argentina, football), Rafael Nadal (Spain, tennis), Manny Pacquiao (Philippines, boxing), Sebastian Vettel (Germany, motor racing)

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Kim Clijsters (Belgium, tennis), Jessica Ennis (UK, athletics), Blanka Vlasic (Croatia, athletics), Lindsey Vonn (US, skiing), Serena Williams (US, tennis), Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark, tennis)

Laureus World Team of the Year

All Blacks (New Zealand, rugby), European Ryder Cup Team (golf), Inter Milan (Italy, football), Los Angeles Lakers (US, basketball), Red Bull Formula One Team (Austria), Spain World Cup Team (football)

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year
Martin Kaymer (Germany, golf), Christophe Lemaitre (France, athletics), Matteo Manassero (Italy, golf), Thomas Muller (Germany, football), Louis Oosthuizen (S.Africa, golf), Teddy Tamgho (France, athletics)

Laureus World Comeback of the Year
Paula Creamer (US, golf), Tyson Gay (US, athletics), Justine Henin (Belgium, tennis), Carolina Kluft (Sweden, athletics), Merlene Ottey (Slovenia, athletics), Valentino Rossi (Italy, motor cycling)

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Verena Bentele (Germany, skiing/biathlon), Matt Cowdrey (Australia, swimming), Daniel Dias (Brazil, swimming), Jakub Krako (Slovakia, skiing), Esther Vergeer (Netherlands, wheelchair tennis), Lauren Woolstencroft (Canada, skiing)

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year

Jamie Bestwick (UK, BMX), Victor Fernandez (Spain, windsurfing), Stephanie Gilmore (Australia, surfing), Levi Sherwood (N.Zealand, freestyle moto-cross), Kelly Slater (US, surfing), Shaun White (US, snowboarding)

To apply for accreditation for the 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards, go to www.laureus.com/accreditation

For further information please contact:
Gerald Meier
Laureus Global Communications
Tel: +44 (0)20 7514 2863
Fax: +44 (0)20 7514 2837
Email: publicrelations@laureus.com
Website: www.laureus.com

Get involved and Give the Gift of Sport on www.sportforgood.org
For photos of Laureus events please visit www.laureusarchive.com
Fot footage of Laureus events please visit www.laureusdigital.com

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