Annual Sporting Awards
There are a few prizes awarded each year for the greatest sports men and women in specific sports, however here are just the lists of awards for the greatest based on all sports from around the world.
Details of the award and the winners are listed for Laureus Sports Awards and the L'Équipe Champion of Champions Award. We have also listed details of the United Press International Athlete of the Year Award although it is no longer presented. Other lists such as the Sports Illustrated Athlete of the Year and Best Athlete ESPY Awards are technically selected from the world's best, though they have a very skewed US bias. The BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year goes close, it covers all the sports world except British nationals.
Laureus Awards
The Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually since 2000 to sports men and women who have been outstanding in sport during the previous year. See the complete list of men's and women's winners. For the men, there have been several multiple winners, with Roger Federer is the best with four wins between 2005-2008. For the women, Serena Williams and Yelena Isinbayeva are the only multiple winners with two wins each. See more about the Laureus Awards.
L'Équipe Champion of Champions
The French newspaper L'Équipe (a nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports) has awarded the Champion of Champions award (Champions des champions mondiaux) to the international sportsman of the year. The prize has been awarded in December of each year's since 1980. The winner is selected based on a ballot of hundreds of worldwide sports journalists. See the results for the Champion of Champions Award for all years since 1980. The award was originally open to both men and women, though in 2012 they created a separate award for males and females.
Sports Technology Awards
The annual Sports Technology Awards, first held in 2014, celebrate the vital role technology plays in sport.
United Press International Athlete of the Year Award (no longer awarded)
The United Press International Athlete of the Year Award (male and female) was awarded each year from 1974 to 1995. The winners were decided by a panel of sportswriters and editors from around the world associated with United Press International, though in 1974 and 1975 the voting panel comprised sportswriters and editors exclusively from Europe. See the list of winners of the male UP International Athlete of the Year and the female International Athlete of the Year.
Other Annual Awards (all sports)
- The Don Award — in recognition of the sporting achievement of the year which has inspired the people of Australia.
Other Annual Awards (Sport Specific)
- Ballon d'Or Awards — the best football player over the previous year, plus many other football awards.
- FIFA Best Awards — a series of awards, including the best male and female football player over the previous year.
Related Pages
- FIFA World Cup Awards
- Football (Soccer Awards)
- Winners of the Superstars: US version, UK and World
- List of some of the world's greatest athletes.
- Other sport specific lists
- More about the World of Sport
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