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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Laureus Sport For Good Award

The Laureus Sport for Good Award is an award honouring the achievements of those who have demonstrated "tremendous contribution to sport or to society through sport". It was first awarded in 2000 as one of the inaugural awards presented during the Laureus World Sports Awards. 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. The first ceremony was held on 25 May 2000 in Monte Carlo, at which Nelson Mandela gave the keynote speech. The recipient is presented with a Laureus statuette, created by Cartier, at an annual awards ceremony held in various locations around the world. Although the Laureus Awards ceremony is held annually, the Sport for Good 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.

The inaugural winner of the Laureus Sport for Good Award in 2000 was American Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The summer camp which she started in her back yard in 1962 became the Special Olympics and she was described by CNN's Emanuella Grinberg as "an advocate for the disenfranchised and a trailblazer for the rights of the disabled". The 2004 award was shared: Kenyan cricket organisation Mathare Youth Sports Association received it along with both the India and Pakistan national cricket teams. As of 2020, one individual has been honoured posthumously. Peter Blake, the New Zealand yachtsman, was shot dead by pirates on the Amazon River in December 2001. Since its establishment, the award has not been awarded twice, in 2009 and 2013. It has been presented to organisations or individuals from Kenya and the United States on the most occasions, with three awards for each nation. The 2020 recipient of the Laureus Sport for Good Award was South Bronx United, "a project which used football to change the lives of young people and poor communities in New York."

Recipients

Key
Indicates posthumous award
Laureus Sport for Good Award recipients
Year Image Winner Nationality Notes Ref(s)
2000 Eunice Kennedy Shriver Eunice Kennedy Shriver  USA Founder of Camp Shriver which became the Special Olympics
2001 Kip Keino in 2014 Kip Keino  KEN Former athlete, and two-time Olympic gold medallist who has conducted humanitarian work in Eldoret, Kenya
2002 Peter Blake  NZL Yachtsman who was killed on the Amazon River by pirates
2003 Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1974 Arnold Schwarzenegger  AUT Former body-builder closely involved with the Special Olympics – his former mother-in-law was founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver
2004 India and Pakistan flags India and Pakistan men's cricket teams  IND
 PAK
After being on the brink of war, India and Pakistan relations improved through the game of cricket.
Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA)  KEN Using cricket, the MYSA helps combat the widespread disease and drug abuse in Mathare area of Kenya.
2005 Gerry Storey  GBR Boxing trainer who spent his lifetime's work running the Holy Family Gym throughout The Troubles
2006 Jürgen Griesbeck  GER Founder of the "streetfootballworld" project which assists underprivileged children around the world
2007 Luke Dowdney  GBR Creator of "Fight for Peace" project in Rio de Janeiro
2008 Brendan Tuohey and Sean Tuohey  USA Co-founders of Peace Players International project
2009 No award
2010 Dikembe Mutombo in 2012 Dikembe Mutombo  COD Former NBA player, engaged in charitable work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
2011 May El-Khalil in 2010 May El-Khalil  LBN Former athlete, founder of Beirut Marathon
2012 Raí in 2009 Raí  BRA Former Brazilian footballer, campaigner for social justice
2013 No award
2014 Magic Bus  IND Mentors and coaches underprivileged children in India
2015 Skateistan  AFG Cambodian youth organisation which uses skateboarding as a way of engaging children with education
2016 Moving the Goalposts  KEN Uses football to empower girls in Kilifi, Kenya, while educating them about sex tourism and AIDS/HIV
2017 Waves for Change  RSA Surfing therapy for children from the townships of South Africa
2018 Active Communities Network  GBR Uses sport and cultural activity to promote "community cohesion and tackle youth crime" in London
2019 Yuwa  IND An "organisation which uses football to empower young girls in rural Jharkhand to overcome violence and child marriage"
2020 South Bronx United  USA A "project which used football to change the lives of young people and poor communities in New York."
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