Laureus World Sports Awards to take place in Madrid on 22 April

The 25th Laureus World Sports Awards will take place in Madrid on April 22. The announcement was made on Wednesday by José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the Mayor of Madrid, and Isabel Díaz Ayuso, President of the Madrid Region, along with Laureus Academy Members Raúl González and Alessandro Del Piero, at the Teatro Albéniz in the Spanish capital.

Many of the biggest names from the world of sport, past and present, will be in Madrid in April to honour the greatest sportsmen, sportswomen and teams from 2023. Each of the Winners will leave with a coveted Laureus Statuette, one of most recognisable symbols of excellence in sport.

The Awards Ceremony will take place at the Palacio de Cibeles, a remarkable structure designed by the prolific architect partnership of Antonio Palacios and Joaquín Otamendi. It is one of Madrid’s most iconic buildings.

Madrid now takes over the Laureus torch from Paris, the city which hosted last year’s Laureus World Sports Awards, where Winners included Lionel Messi, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Spain’s brilliant young tennis star Carlos Alcaraz. Nominees for this year’s Awards, in seven categories, will be announced on February 26.

The Laureus Awards will celebrate the most memorable sporting performances from last year; a year in which Madrid welcomed home the FIFA Women’s World Cup winners after victory in Australia. The Spain team, led by Aitana Bonmatí, lit up a tournament that was one of the highlights of an incredible year in sport.

Also in 2023, Novak Djokovic moved to the front of tennis’s golden generation, only Alcaraz, in a thrilling Wimbledon final, keeping the world No.1 from a clean sweep of the four Grand Slams.

The World Athletics Championships featured showstopping performances from athletes such as Faith Kipyegon, Sha’Carri Richardson, Shericka Jackson, Mondo Duplantis and Noah Lyles. On the Formula One racetrack, Max Verstappen and Oracle Red Bull Racing had a record-breaking season, securing both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships.

At the Rugby World Cup, Siya Kolisi recovered from injury to lead South Africa to rugby’s pinnacle once more.

While this is the first time Madrid has hosted the Laureus World Sports Awards, it is the fifth time the event has been held in Spain, following Barcelona (2006, 2007) and Seville (2021 and 2022). Spain has seen notable success at the Laureus Awards – and the country is ranked third in the total number of Winners.