Novak Djokovic, Aitana Bonmatí, Jude Bellingham and Simone Biles were among the big winners in Madrid tonight, as Spain was at the centre of world sport with an unrivalled collection of sport’s greatest talents celebrating the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards.
On an unforgettable evening at the historic Palacio de Cibeles in the heart of Madrid, with media from across the world in attendance, Djokovic was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record-equalling fifth time.
This was the 25th staging of an event that has risen to the top of the sporting calendar – attended by some of the best athletes on the planet together with past sporting giants, plus influential figures from the world of fashion, film and entertainment.
Hosted by Hollywood star Andy Garcia, the Awards were broadcast live to millions around the world, alongside blanket coverage across media and with the sporting world set alight on social channels by the unique gathering of athletes from across all sports only seen at the Laureus Awards.
It was the athletes who took centre stage tonight: from the representatives of the Laureus World Sports Academy – the 69 sporting greats whose votes decide these Awards – present in Madrid, to the heroes of today, for whom the Laureus is a coveted global prize known as the “athletes’ Award”.
And among the guests presenting those statuettes were three of the biggest names in global sport.
Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion, presented Djokovic with his Sportsman of the Year Award; Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter of all time, presented the Sportswoman of the Year Award to Bonmatí; and last year’s winner of the Breakthrough of the Year Award, Carlos Alcaraz, handed the Laureus for that category to Bellingham.
That was an ‘Only at Laureus’ moment as Alcaraz, a passionate Real Madrid fan, congratulated Bellingham, the current talisman of that great football club.
Bonmatí took to the stage twice – and made history both times: firstly, to pick up Laureus Sportswoman of the Year and in doing so become the first footballer to win the prestigious Award; and again to represent the Spain team which won the Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand – in the same city where that side returned to celebrate last summer.
The world champions are now the Laureus World Team of the Year and the first all-female team to win the Award.
Bellingham, too, was on familiar territory. The English midfielder won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award – the first footballer to do so – after an electrifying start to his time with Real Madrid. Biles was honoured with the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award after a sensational return to gymnastics following a two-year hiatus.
Newly crowned Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Djokovic ended 2023 in possession of three of the four major titles in men’s tennis – and only missed out on a Calendar Slam after a classic Wimbledon final against eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz.
The Serb is now on a record-equalling 24 Grand Slams and was in Madrid to tie another all-time record, with his fifth Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award (he won in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2019). Like the winner of this Award in 2023, Lionel Messi, Djokovic has displayed not just sporting greatness, but a longevity at the very top of his sport that sets new standards for those who follow him.
The full list of Winners is:
World Sportsman of the Year Award: Novak Djokovic
World Sportswoman of the Year Award: Aitana Bonmatí
World Team of the Year Award: Spain Women’s Football Team
World Breakthrough of the Year Award: Jude Bellingham
World Comeback of the Year Award: Simone Biles
Sport for Good Award: Fundación Rafael Nadal
World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award: Diede de Groot
World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award: Arisa Trew
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, Novak Djokovic, said: “I am incredibly honoured to have won my fifth Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award. I think back to 2012, when I won it for the first time as a 24-year-old. I am very proud to be here 12 years later, reflecting on a year that brought me and my fans a lot of excitement and success.
🤩 @frnadal are the 2024 Laureus Sport for Good Award recipients.
— Laureus (@LaureusSport) April 22, 2024
The inspirational programme truly believes in the transformative power of sport. It helps over 1,000 vulnerable young people in Spain and India and empowers them to realise their potential #Laureus24 |… pic.twitter.com/6OF8HbQgz8
“It was thrilling to return to Australia last January and win my 10th title. It is a tournament that is so dear to my heart and set me up for an incredible 12 months. I could not have achieved so much success without an incredible team behind me, and inspirational rivals who have always pushed me to be the best version of myself.
Jude Bellingham at Laureus Awards 🥶💧 pic.twitter.com/ba1HhHFVRY
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) April 22, 2024
“The Laureus Awards are so special because they represent recognition from the 69 world-class athletes who make up the Laureus World Sports Academy. To earn the votes of my sporting heroes is what makes these Awards so coveted in all of sport.
“I am truly blessed to be among sports greats as a winner, but also as a supporter and admirer of Laureus Sport for Good as I too believe in the power of sport to make a difference in the world.
The 2024 Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year is Arisa Trew. 🏆
— Laureus (@LaureusSport) April 22, 2024
The teenager made skateboarding history last year, becoming the first female skater to land a 720 in competition and had a golden season. #Laureus24 pic.twitter.com/De1uR3xjdG
“Finally, this Laureus Statuette stands alone because it represents more than sporting achievement. The Laureus mission of using sport as a power for good has been changing lives for 25 years and embodies the values of its founding patron, Nelson Mandela. I want to add my support to Laureus Sport for Good and the work they are doing to transform lives around the world.”
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🏆 Aitana Bonmati is the 2024 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year.
— Laureus (@LaureusSport) April 22, 2024
The outstanding midfielder was instrumental in Spain's first @FIFAWWC victory and shone for @FCBfemeni during their impressive season. #Laureus24 pic.twitter.com/DoSxgEuZHU
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, Aitana Bonmatí, said: “I am honoured to receive the Laureus for Sportswoman of the Year – and I am also very happy that my international teammates have been recognised as the Team of the Year by the Laureus World Sports Academy.
It's time for the highly anticipated Laureus World Sports Awards 2024 🏆
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) April 22, 2024
📺 Watch LIVE on SS Grandstand and Variety 4 (201 & 209) pic.twitter.com/Pnma2u0hK2
“It is humbling to see the list of previous winners of this Award. From Serena Williams to Simone Biles, Lindsey Vonn, Naomi Osaka and last year’s winner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, they are all incredible athletes who have not only excelled in their chosen sports, but been incredible role models for younger generations of young women and girls. To be the first footballer to win this Award makes it even more special and I hope to represent my sport in the same way that those great champions have done.
“As the first women’s team to win the Laureus, we are proud of our status as pioneers and as a group we are as committed to equality and representation as we are to what we do on the football pitch. I know these values are shared by the Laureus Academy and Laureus Sport for Good, and we support the work they do all over the world to improve the lives of at-risk girls and young women through sport.
“Our national team is a group like no other – our strength comes from every challenge we have faced, both on and off the field of play. I believe we have met them all, and I hope that we can be an inspiration to young girls in Spain and around the world, to not just take up football but participate in sport and enjoy all the benefits it brings. At this 25th Laureus Awards, the message of Laureus’ founding Patron, Nelson Mandela, remains true: sport has the power to change the world.
“On a personal level, I would like to thank the Laureus Academy for the Sportswoman of the Year Award. To join a list of winners that includes such great sporting heroes is very special for me – more so because these Awards are voted for by the sporting champions of the Laureus Academy.
“Holding this Laureus caps a year that I could never have imagined, and one that I will never forget. With FC Barcelona and the national team we achieved so much. This honour is for everyone who supported me on this journey, and everyone who cheered me on. We proved that together, we can do anything.”
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Laureus World Comeback of the Year, Simone Biles, said "Winning the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award means everything to me. Every time I'm nominated for a Laureus Award in general, it's unbelievable, and I feel super honoured and excited to be among some of those greats that have either been in running for the Award, or have prior won the Award, but to have all that hard work and dedication be recognised, and be paid off is just truly unbelievable and exciting."
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Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year, Arisa Trew, said: “It’s such a thrill to hold the Laureus for Action Sportsperson of the Year. I want to thank the Laureus World Sports Academy for voting for me, and for every other athlete on the shortlist, because they are all inspirational – to be nominated alongside world champion surfers in Filipe Toledo and Caroline Marks, a world champion BMX racer, a round-the-world sailor and my fellow skateboarder Rayssa Leal is a true honour.
“The Laureus Awards are so special to athletes because they are voted for by the champions of the Laureus Academy – but one member of the Academy is a big part of my journey here, and that’s Tony Hawk.
“My 720 at his event in Salt Lake City changed everything for me, and I’m so glad it was there that I became the first female athlete to complete it – because Tony was the one who made that move famous.
I am the first female skateboarder to win this Laureus and that makes me very proud, but I also feel the responsibility that comes with it. The challenge is to grow women’s skating and inspire a new generation of young women and girls to try the sport. Skating is growing and becoming inclusive, but more can be done, and I want to be at the forefront of opening up the sport.”
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Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability, Diede de Groot, said: “This is an incredible honour – like every athlete, I have followed the Laureus World Sports Awards for many years, and I have been proud to have been nominated for this Award in previous years. This is an important recognition for wheelchair tennis, and I am especially proud to become the second Dutch winner of this Award, following in the footsteps of Esther Vergeer, who picked up this Award in 2002 and 2008. This category is so important in elevating disability sport in the eyes of the world and inspiring new generations of para-athletes to push beyond their limits.
“My 2023 went as well as I could ever have hoped, and I have become very proud of my ongoing winning streak. To join the list of previous Laureus winners from across sport is just amazing. In the 25th year of the Laureus World Sports Awards, the athletes who have held these beautiful Statuettes tell the history of sport in the 21st Century. To be a part of that history is hard to believe. Laureus brings athletes together – and together I believe we can inspire people and change the world.”
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