Pistorius races to Laureus disability award
South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius, the athlete known as the ‘Blade Runner’ because he runs on carbon fibre blades, is the winner of the 2012 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award.
In 2011 Pistorius became the first amputee to win a non-disabled World Championship track medal, as a member of the South African silver medal winning 4 x 400 metres relay team, in Daegu, South Korea.
His desire to bridge the gap between disabled and non-disabled sport became reality in Daegu. Now his goal is to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
After receiving the Laureus Statuette from Spanish actress Elsa Pataky and skateboard legend Tony Hawk in the globally televised Awards Ceremony in London, Oscar Pistorius said: “This is just a great privilege to be nominated, it is really humbling to be here. To all the Laureus Academy Members, all you guys and icons who a lot of us still competing look up to, thank you very much.”
The Laureus World Sports Awards are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar. The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 47 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time.
MASSIVE IMPACT IN INTERNATIONAL SPORT
Laureus Academy Member Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London Olympic Games Organising Committee, said: “I only realised the impact that Oscar has made on Olympic and Paralympic sport when I witnessed him in Trafalgar Square during the course of the summer.
"We celebrated International Paralympic Day in London and when Oscar gave his demonstration on a 60-metre stretch of tartan in front of the National Gallery, there were kids of all ages lining up wanting his autograph, pressing their noses to the barriers to get a glimpse of him.
"I suddenly realised this is a guy that really has made a massive impact in international sport. I think what Oscar has done is to really make us challenge our own orthodoxies, our own views about disability.”
And Laureus Chairman Edwin Moses said: “Oscar is a remarkable human being. One of the most impressive people I have ever met. When you think of the challenges he has faced in his life and overcome and gone on to break new ground, you can only be impressed.
"And he is now also a Laureus Ambassador and has shown his determination to support the cause of sport for good. I congratulate him on this well-deserved Award.”
Pistorius, aged 25, was born with a congenital absence of the fibula and his legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11-months-old. He runs with the aid of carbon fibre blades.
With his 400m time of 45.07 secs in July, he achieved the qualifying standard for the World Championships and was selected for the South Africa team.
He took part in the individual 400 metres in Daegu and reached the semifinals before being eliminated after running a time of 46.19 secs.
In the relay, he took part in the heats, which secured his silver medal, although he was not chosen for the final.
THE AWARDS WERE ANNOUNCED IN SEVEN CATEGORIES. THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS IS:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Vivian Cheruiyot
Laureus World Team of the Year: FC Barcelona
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Rory McIlroy
Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Darren Clarke
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Oscar Pistorius
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Kelly Slater
There were two additional Awards: The Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to England football legend Bobby Charlton, while Raí Souza Vieira de Oliveira, the former Brazilian footballer, now social justice campaigner, won the Laureus Sport for Good Award.
The 2012 Laureus Awards Ceremony, held at Central Hall, Westminster, was hosted by Golden Globe and Bafta award winning actor Clive Owen and attended by guests from the worlds of sport and entertainment.
The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy present were: Giacomo Agostini, Boris Becker, Sergey Bubka, Nadia Comaneci, Marcel Desailly, Kapil Dev, Mick Doohan, Emerson Fittipaldi, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Tony Hawk, Mike Horn, Miguel Indurain, Kip Keino, Franz Klammer, Edwin Moses, Nawal El Moutawakel, Robby Naish, Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, Alexey Nemov, Gary Player, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Steve Redgrave, Monica Seles, Mark Spitz, Daley Thompson, Alberto Tomba, Steve Waugh and Katarina Witt.
Among the other guests present from the world of entertainment and fashion were Bryan Ferry who performed on stage as well as segment host British actress Thandie Newton, Spanish actress Elsa Pataky, American actor Luke Wilson and Israeli actress and model Bar Rafaeli.
Other sports guests included: Schalk Burger Jr, Paul Collingwood, David Coulthard, Johan Cruyff, Lawrence Dallaglio, Daniel Dias, Cadel Evans, Alex Ferguson, Ruud Gullit, Gavin Hastings, Tim Henman, Kelly Holmes, Petra Kvitova, Lennox Lewis, Barry McGuigan, Matthew Pinsent, Oscar Pistorius, Alan Shearer, Edwin van der Sar, Esther Vergeer, Patrick Vieira, Andre Villas-Boas and Arsene Wenger.
Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports 91 community sports projects in 34 countries around the world, including five in London.
Since its inception, Laureus has raised €40 million for projects which have improved the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people.
Laureus combines the Laureus World Sports Awards, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and the Laureus World Sports Academy to form a unique international sports organisation that uses the inspirational power of sport as a force for good.
The Laureus Foundation is a global leader in research, expertise and best practice in supporting grassroots programmes around the world.
There is a two-part voting process to find the winners of the Laureus World Sports Awards. Firstly, a Selection Panel of the world’s leading sports editors, writers and broadcasters have been voting to create a shortlist of six nominations in five categories – Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, Laureus World Team of the Year, Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year and Laureus World Comeback of the Year. The nominations for two additional categories - the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year and the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability are produced by Specialist Panels.
The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy then vote by secret ballot to select the Award winners in all seven categories.