Here’s To The Unsung Heroes - Laureus Sport for Good Award Shortlist
From a football project working with young people fleeing violence to a surf project that is changing lives through its holistic support, the six shortlisted programmes up for this year’s Laureus Sport for Good Award share Laureus’ mission.
As the Laureus World Sports Awards prepares to celebrate sporting excellence on its 25th anniversary, the Laureus Sport for Good Award is a timely reminder of where this incredible event has its origins.
It is not just the world’s greatest athletes with an inspirational story to tell – at the heart of these Awards is a wider movement which transcends competition, but wholeheartedly represents the best of sport. The six grassroots programmes shortlisted for this year’s Laureus Sport for Good Award embody Laureus’ true mission: to use the power of sport to transform the lives of children and young people all around the world.
It is not just the world’s greatest athletes with an inspirational story to tell – at the heart of these Awards is a wider movement which transcends competition, but wholeheartedly represents the best of sport. The six grassroots programmes shortlisted for this year’s Laureus Sport for Good Award embody Laureus’ true mission: to use the power of sport to transform the lives of children and young people all around the world.
These programmes – selected by the 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy – will stand shoulder to shoulder with sporting royalty at this year’s special 25-year anniversary celebration, offering a reminder to each of us that sport can – and does - break down barriers and create better outcomes for future generations.
On April 6, the United Nations will mark its annual International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP). This year its focus is on the theme of Social Inclusion, its aims to challenge stereotypes, make sport inclusive for all, and generate dialogue to tackle prejudices and injustice. And the six shortlisted organisations in contention for the Laureus Sport for Good Award are playing a significant part in achieving these goals.
The projects shortlisted for this year’s prestigious Award include Kick4Life, a Lesotho-based programme using football to reach at-risk children and young people. By promoting health education, life-skills development, gender rights and employability, the organisation aims to tackle the devastating impact of HIV on local communities. Since being founded in 2007, Kick4Life – which was also nominated for this award in 2022 – has reached more than 250,000 young people.
On April 6, the United Nations will mark its annual International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP). This year its focus is on the theme of Social Inclusion, its aims to challenge stereotypes, make sport inclusive for all, and generate dialogue to tackle prejudices and injustice. And the six shortlisted organisations in contention for the Laureus Sport for Good Award are playing a significant part in achieving these goals.
The projects shortlisted for this year’s prestigious Award include Kick4Life, a Lesotho-based programme using football to reach at-risk children and young people. By promoting health education, life-skills development, gender rights and employability, the organisation aims to tackle the devastating impact of HIV on local communities. Since being founded in 2007, Kick4Life – which was also nominated for this award in 2022 – has reached more than 250,000 young people.
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EOur next shortlisted programme, Figure Skating in Harlem (FSH), helps girls from underprivilieged neighbourhoods transform their lives and become confident leaders in their community.
More than 1,500 girls have come through the programme since its inception in 1997, and it has received recognition from the International Olympic Committee thanks to its lasting impact. At FSH – which is part of the Sport for Good Cities Initiative – girls develop their fitness and skating technique, while receiving curricular support in reading, writing and mathematics.
In October 2024, Kind Surf was the recipient of the Laureus España MARCA Sport for Good Honour, and its work is now being recognised on the global stage. The third name on our shortlist uses surf therapy in Valencia and Zarautz to support young people at risk of social exclusion due to intellectual disabilities.
Founded by model and climate activist Almudena Fernandez, and one of Spain’s greatest surfers, Artiz Aranburu, Kind Surf’s team includes therapeutic surf instructors, occupational therapists, professional surfers and psychologists, each providing holistic support for those involved.
More than 1,500 girls have come through the programme since its inception in 1997, and it has received recognition from the International Olympic Committee thanks to its lasting impact. At FSH – which is part of the Sport for Good Cities Initiative – girls develop their fitness and skating technique, while receiving curricular support in reading, writing and mathematics.
In October 2024, Kind Surf was the recipient of the Laureus España MARCA Sport for Good Honour, and its work is now being recognised on the global stage. The third name on our shortlist uses surf therapy in Valencia and Zarautz to support young people at risk of social exclusion due to intellectual disabilities.
Founded by model and climate activist Almudena Fernandez, and one of Spain’s greatest surfers, Artiz Aranburu, Kind Surf’s team includes therapeutic surf instructors, occupational therapists, professional surfers and psychologists, each providing holistic support for those involved.
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Also shortlisted is football programme Liberi Nantes, whose impact extends far beyond the confines of the pitch. Eighteen years have passed since a group of friends in Rome first forged the idea to create a team made up of children of refugees and asylum seekers, and it has since grown into something truly remarkable. This volunteer-based sports association now offers a wide variety of activities for over 200 people every year and offers a lifeline for those searching for their place in society.
It may have started out as nothing more than a neighbourhood club over two decades ago, but our next shortlisted project, Paris Basket 18, has become so much more to so many people.
As well as the development of women’s sport, Paris Basket 18 promotes social integration, and uses its platform to pass on key values such as respect and tolerance to thousands of young people. The club has celebrated many title wins in recent years, while several of its players have gone on to represent the French national team in the Olympic Games.
It may have started out as nothing more than a neighbourhood club over two decades ago, but our next shortlisted project, Paris Basket 18, has become so much more to so many people.
As well as the development of women’s sport, Paris Basket 18 promotes social integration, and uses its platform to pass on key values such as respect and tolerance to thousands of young people. The club has celebrated many title wins in recent years, while several of its players have gone on to represent the French national team in the Olympic Games.
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Our final member of the shortlist utilises sport to help young people in the UK gain employment. Street League works in collaboration with schools and employers to equip its members with the confidence and skills to succeed in the world of work. By combining academic work with sporting activities, the group played a major part in helping thousands of young people secure a job, an apprenticeship, or a place on an educational/vocational training programme.
From Lesotho to Harlem; the streets of Paris to the beaches of Spain, our other sporting heroes share the common goal that has driven the Laureus movement for a quarter of a century: to change the lives of the young people in their communities through sport.
From Lesotho to Harlem; the streets of Paris to the beaches of Spain, our other sporting heroes share the common goal that has driven the Laureus movement for a quarter of a century: to change the lives of the young people in their communities through sport.
