Laureus World Sports Awards 2023: Lionel Messi to Rafael Nadal to Iga Swiatek; Full list of Nominees

Add as a preferred source on Google

London, Feb 20: The nominations for the Laureus World Sports Awards 2023 have been announced. Six players have been selected across seven nominated Laureus categories for their excellent show in the year 2022.

The Awards Ceremony will celebrate not only athletes who entertained fans in the last 12 months but will also honour those who will end their careers with a claim to be the greatest in the history of their sport.

Six inspirational programmes were also shortlisted for the Laureus Sport for Good Award.

The more than 1,400 members of the Laureus Global Media Nominations Panel decided on all but one category - the shortlist for the Laureus World Sportsperson with a Disability Award was chosen by a specialist panel from the International Paralympic Committee.

What makes Laureus Awards unique is the final stage of the judging process. A vote by the 71 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. Olympic champions, world-record breakers, and athletes who redefined their sports and make up the ultimate jury on sporting greatness.

The Award winners in these categories - along with recipients of the Awards presented at the discretion of the Laureus World Sports Academy - will be announced at the Laureus World Sports Awards in the Spring.

The nominees for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award spent 2022 climbing to the very pinnacle of their sport. Lionel Messi collected the one prize that had eluded him by leading Argentina to the FIFA World Cup 2022. France's Kylian Mbappé's hat trick in the final earned him the Golden Boot as the leading goalscorer in the Football World Cup in Qatar.

Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal ended 2022 alone at the top of the all-time list of men's Grand Slam champions with 22 titles after victories in Australia and France.

Max Verstappen joins Messi and Nadal as past winners of this Award on the 2023 shortlist after defending his Formula One world title. Mondo Duplantis broke the pole vault world record on three occasions and won world titles indoors and out. Legendary Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors to a fourth NBA championship in eight years.

Women nominees in Laureus Sport Award 2023

The race for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award is led by two athletes who lit up the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became a five-time champion over 100m, while Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone added the world title to her Olympic crown with a world record in the 400m hurdles.

At the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Katie Ledecky won four golds, taking her total to 22, a record for a female swimmer. Alexia Putellas led FC Barcelona to a perfect season in the Spanish league and claimed a second Ballon d'Or.

Mikaela Shiffrin regained her overall title at the Alpine Ski World Cup while Iga Świątek emerged in 2022 as the undisputed No.1 in women's tennis by winning the grand slams in the French Open and US Open.

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award

Two meteoric tennis talents have been nominated for this award. Carlos Alcaraz gave a preview of the next era in the men's game, winning the US Open to end the year as the sport's youngest-ever No.1-ranked player.

In the women's game, Elena Rybakina won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.

Scottie Scheffler won The Masters and tied for second at the US Open on his way to becoming golf's No.1. Also nominated are the Morocco Men's Football Team who captivated the world on their adventure to the semi-finals of the World Cup.

Nathan Chen, the figure skater who added Olympic gold to a world title; and Tobi Amusan, who broke the 100m hurdles world record on the way to claiming Nigeria's first-ever gold medal at the World Athletics Championships.

Here's the full list of Nominees for the Laureus World Sports Awards 2023

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year

Steph Curry (USA) Basketball - led Golden State Warriors to fourth NBA championship in eight years

Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) Athletics - three world records, two world titles in a dominant 2022

Kylian Mbappé (France) Football - Golden Boot winner at World Cup, led Ligue 1 in goals and assists

Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football - captained Argentina to the World Cup; Golden Ball for best player

Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis - won two Grand Slams in 2022 to take career wins to a record 22

Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Motor Racing - defended Formula One World Championship in 2022

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) Athletics - won record fifth 100m title at World Championships

Katie Ledecky (USA) Swimming - four golds at World Aquatics Championships set a new record

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) Athletics - smashed world 400m hurdles record

Alexia Putellas (Spain) Football - a second Ballon d'Or, captained Barcelona to perfect league win

Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) Alpine Skiing - regained overall title at the World Cup

Iga Świątek (Poland) Tennis - won in France and USA to become World No.1

Laureus World Team of the Year Award

Argentina Men's Football Team - World Cup winners after a thrilling final against France

England Women's Football Team - won the European Championships in front of packed crowds at home

France Men's Rugby Team - ended 12-year wait for Six Nations title with a Grand Slam

Golden State Warriors (USA) Basketball - NBA champions for the fourth time in eight years

Real Madrid (Spain) Football - La Liga and Champions League double for the Spanish giants

Oracle Red Bull Racing (Austria) - vanquished Mercedes after eight years to claim constructors' title

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award

Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) Tennis - won debut Grand Slam title in New York to take World No.1 spot

Tobi Amusan (Nigeria) Athletics - world champion and a new world record over 100m hurdles

Nathan Chen (USA) Figure Skating - Olympic gold with a world record in the short program

Morocco Men's Football Team - first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup

Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) Tennis - won Wimbledon from No.17 seed, her first Grand Slam title

Scottie Scheffler (USA) Golf - winner at Augusta and joint second at the US Open

Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award

Francesco Bagnaia (Italy) Motor Cycling - overturned 91-point deficit to win MotoGP crown

Christian Eriksen (Denmark) Football - returned to Premier League after cardiac arrest during Euro 2020

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) Athletics - fought back from shock defeat in 1500m to win 5000m world title

Klay Thompson (USA) Basketball - won NBA championship with Golden State Warriors after 30 months out

Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) Cycling - overcame illness to win Tour de France Femme

Tiger Woods (USA) Golf - returned to make cut at Masters following career-threatening car crash

Laureus Sportsperson of the Year With a Disability Award

Diede de Groot (Netherlands) Wheelchair Tennis - completed second calendar-year Grand Slam

Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) Para Athletics - four world records in three-day meet on home track

Declan Farmer (USA) Para Ice Hockey - third Paralympic gold with USA and the tournament's top goalscorer

Cameron Leslie (New Zealand) Para Swimming and Wheelchair Rugby - gold in the pool after two years out

Oksana Masters (USA) Para Cross-Country Skiing and Para Cycling - double biathlon gold at Winter Paralympics

Jesper Saltvik Pedersen (Norway) Para Alpine Skiing - four golds on the slopes in China

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award

Justine Dupont (France) Big Wave Surfing - high-risk pursuit of giant waves continued in 2022

Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) Surfing - eighth world title for the Australian hall-of-famer

Eileen Gu (China) Freestyle Skiing - double gold - in big air and halfpipe - for the teenage sensation

Chloe Kim (USA) Snowboarding - defended her Olympic title at halfpipe

Rayssa Leal (Brazil) Skateboarding - gold in Street event at both Summer X Games and World Championships

Filipe Toledo (Brazil) Surfing - debut world title for the Brazilian high-flyer

Laureus Sport for Good Award

Programmes shortlisted by a specialist selection panel; Laureus Academy select the Award recipient

Boxgirls (Kenya) Boxing - empowering young women and challenging stereotypes

High Five (Germany) Action Sports - helping migrant and orphaned children integrate into new communities

Made For More (South Africa) Multi-sport - making sport inclusive for people with disabilities

Slum Soccer (India) Football - supporting homeless young people through sport and education

TeamUp (Global) Movement - children affected by war, conflict improve psychosocial well-being through physical activity, developed by War Child, Save the Children and UNICEF the Netherlands.