South Africa: No Joy for Springboks and Kolisi At Laureus World Sports Awards As SA's Four Nominees Lose Out

23 April 2024
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Craig Ray

South Africa had four nominees at the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards but came away empty-handed on a good night for Spain.

The Spanish women's football team and Spanish playmaker Aitana Bonmatí won the Laureus World Team and World Sportswoman of the Year at the 2024 awards in Madrid.

It was a celebration for Spain, with Madrid hosting the 25th version of the awards at the stunning Palacio de Cibeles in the heart of the city.

Spanish tennis superstar Rafa Nadal's Fundación Rafa Nadal, which uses sport and education to inspire more than 1,000 young people in economically challenged communities in Spain and India, won the Laureus Sport for Good Award. Nadal was on hand to collect the award.

Serbian Tennis great Novak Djokovic, who won three of the four Grand Slam singles titles in 2023, and was a losing finalist at Wimbledon, was unsurprisingly named World Sportsman of the Year for a record fifth time. He won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2019.

But for South Africa, there was only disappointment as its four nominees -- the Springboks (Team of the Year), Siya Kolisi (Comeback of the Year), sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer (Action Sportsperson of the Year) and the Justice Desk Africa (Sports for Good Category) -- all missed out.

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