On Saturday, September 8, during a press conference held at Casa Brasil in London, Brazil announced that it will host the next two editions of the Laureus Awards. The awards are considered among the most highly regarded for athletes in the world. It is the first time that the awards ceremony will be held in the Southern Hemisphere. The 2012 edition was held last February in London.

The chairman of the Laureus Academy, and double Olympic 400m hurdles champion, Edwin Moses, began the event noting that all eyes are on Brazil since it will host the next World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016. He also made the official announcement of the coming editions of the awards. "The ceremonies for the 2013 and 2014 Laureus Awards will be held in Rio de Janeiro. I know that sport is a passion for all Brazilians and it will be a pleasure to go to Brazil and take part in this great celebration of sport. There couldn't be a better place to host these editions," emphasized Moses.

Luis Fernandes congratulated the initiative of the Rio de Janeiro government and stressed the importance of the state capital in the organization and holding of major events such as the 2007 Pan American Games, the 2011 Military World Games and the United Nations Conference (Rio +20) in 2012. "Rio de Janeiro is experiencing a new reality, transforming itself into the capital of sport and one of the main poles of attraction for investments in Brazil," said the Secretary.

The Laureus Foundation was established in 2000 by Richemont and Daimler and is comprised of the academy, the award and social projects. Nelson Mandela is the Patron of Laureus. The academy consists of 46 volunteer members who are, in general, former athletes. In addition to voting on the award winners, they also bring their celebrity to social projects. The award is annual and voting takes place in two steps. Firstly, journalists from around 80 countries elect five athletes from each sport, Olympic and Paralympic. In the second phase, members vote for the winners from the list of nominees.

12 September 2012