The sporting legends pictured above attended the very first Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco in 2000, where former South Africa President Nelson Mandela famously told them: ‘sport has the power to change the world.’ 17 years later, Mandela’s words still ring true and many of these legends will make a special return to Monaco next month to honour the greatest sportsmen and women of the past 12 months. 

Olympians Edwin Moses, Nawal El Moutawakel, Daley Thompson, Nadia Comaneci will be joined at the 2017 Laureus World Sports Awards by tennis stars Boris Becker and Ilie Nastase and rugby legends Sean Fitzpatrick, Morné du Plessis and Hugo Porta. Also returning will be winter sports stars Franz Klammer and Katarina Witt, and motor sport legends Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan and Emerson Fittipaldi.

These sporting legends will be joined in Monaco by fellow Academy Members from a variety of sports, including: Football: Cafu, Alessandro Del Piero, Luis Figo, Carles Puyol; Athletics: Michael Johnson, Kip Keino, Tegla Loroupe,  Paralympics: Tanni Grey-Thompson Table Tennis: Deng Yaping; Gymnastics: Li Xiaopeng, Alexey Nemov; Cycling: Fabian Cancellara; Cricket: Kapil Dev, Steve Waugh; Golf: Gary Player; Rowing: Steve Redgrave; Rugby: Brian O’Driscoll, Boxing: Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Windsurfing: Robby Naish