Laureus Awards: And the Oscars of sport go to...

World number one tennis star Novak Djokovic and Ethiopian athlete Genzebe Dibaba were named Laureus sportsman and woman of the year Wednesday at an event in Shanghai.

Updated on: Apr 16, 2015, 18:16:38 IST

AFP | By HT Correspondent, Shanghai

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

World number one tennis star Novak Djokovic and Ethiopian athlete Genzebe Dibaba were named Laureus sportsman and woman of the year Wednesday at an event in Shanghai.

Germany's world-conquering footballers were chosen as team of the year at the Laureus Sports Awards, while a heavily pregnant Li Na, China's two-time Grand Slam winning champion, picked up the exceptional achievement award.

The winners were chosen in a secret ballot by a 50-strong panel of sporting greats, the Laureus Sports Academy. Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, former French footballer Eric Cantona and ex-New Zealand rugby captain Sean Fitzpatrick were just some of the big names at the ceremony.

Tendulkar and Chinese basketball great Yao Ming were both inducted as new members of the Academy. "I never thought that guys whom I watched growing up, I will be sharing the stage with them," Tendulkar said.

Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.