Comprehensive Guide to Major International and Indian Sports Awards

Laureus World Sports Awards

The Laureus World Sports Awards is a prestigious global sports award ceremony held annually to honor the best athletes and teams in the world for their achievements. The name Laureus is derived from the Greek word Laurel, which serves as a traditional symbol of victory in athletics. Laureus is a global organization that strives to promote excellence in the sports field and work toward bringing changes in the lives of children and youth through sports. This award is famously known as the Oscars of the sports world. The Laureus World Sports Awards were established in the year $1999$. The first award ceremony took place in the year $2000$ under the leadership of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The venue for the first award ceremony was Monte Carlo. The winners, selected by the Laureus World Sports Academy, receive a statue designed by Cartier.

Nelson Mandela is known as the Patron of the Laureus World Sports Awards. The speech made by Nelson Mandela during the first award ceremony held in $2000$ was highly notable. His famous words, stating that sport has the power to change the world, continue to resonate. The main award categories include World Sportsman of the Year (for the best male athlete), World Sportswoman of the Year (for the best female athlete), World Team of the Year (for the best team), Breakthrough of the Year (for the best emerging athlete), Comeback of the Year (for the athlete who makes the best return), the award for athletes with disabilities, and Action Sportsperson of the Year. Additionally, there are special awards such as Lifetime Achievement, Sporting Icon, and the Sport for Good Award. The list of the best athletes with disabilities is prepared and provided by the International Paralympic Committee.

Laureus World Sports Award Winners 2000

In the inaugural year of $2000$, the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year was awarded to Tiger Woods for Golf representing the USA. The World Sportswoman of the Year was Marion Jones from the USA for Athletics, though this award was later cancelled. The World Team of the Year was Manchester United from the UK for Football. The World Newcomer of the Year was Sergio Garcia from Spain for Golf. The award for the best Comeback of the Year was given to Lance Armstrong for Cycling from the USA, though this was also later cancelled. The Laureus World Sportsperson with a Disability award was given to Louise Sauvage from Australia for Athletics. Shaun Palmer won the Laureus World Alternative Sportsperson of the Year. The Laureus Sport for Good Award was given to Eunice Kennedy Driver. The first Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Pele from Brazil for Football.

Notable Laureus Achievements and Indian Winners

Lionel Messi is the first athlete to win both the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year and the World Team of the Year award in the same year, achieving this through Argentine Football. Serena Williams holds the record for winning the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award the most times, having won it $4$ times. Roger Federer holds the record for winning the highest number of Laureus World Sports Awards among men, with a total of $6$ awards. His sixth award was in the Comeback of the Year category in the $2018$ ceremony. Both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic share the record for winning the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award $5$ times each.

Sachin Tendulkar was the first Indian athlete to be honored with a Laureus Sports Award, specifically the Sporting Moment $2000$-$2020$ award. In $2004$, the Laureus Sport for Good Award was shared by the men's cricket teams of India and Pakistan, along with the Mathare Youth Sports Association. In $2019$, the Jharkhand-based NGO named Yuwa won the Laureus Sport for Good Award for their efforts in empowering girls and fighting against social evils like child marriage and human trafficking through football.

Laureus World Sports Award Winners 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026

For the year $2026$, the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year was Carlos Alcaraz from Spain for Tennis, and the World Sportswoman of the Year was Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus for Tennis. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) won World Team of the Year, and Chloe Kim won Action Sportsperson of the Year for snowboarding. Lando Norris won Breakthrough of the Year for Racing, while Rory McIlroy won Comeback of the Year for Golf. Gabriel Araujo from Brazil won Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability for Swimming, and Lamine Yamal from Spain won Best Young Athlete for Football. Nadia Comaneci from Romania was honored for Lifetime Achievement in Gymnastics, and Futbol Mas received the Sport for Good Award. Toni Kroos won the Sporting Inspiration Award for German Football.

In $2025$, the ceremony will be held in Madrid, Spain. Mondo Duplantis from Sweden is named World Sportsman of the Year for Pole Vault, and Simone Biles from the USA is World Sportswoman of the Year for Gymnastics. Real Madrid Men's Football Team is the World Team of the Year. Tom Pidcock from the UK won Action Sportsperson of the Year for Cycling. Lamine Yamal won Breakthrough of the Year, and Rebeca Andrade from Brazil won Comeback of the Year for Gymnastics. Jiang Yuyan from China won Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability for Para-Swimming. Rafael Nadal was named the Laureus Sporting Icon, and Kelly Slater won the Lifetime Achievement Award for Surfing. Kick4Life from Lesotho, an organization performing health education and HIV prevention through football, won the Sport for Good Award.

For $2024$, the winners were Novak Djokovic (Sportsman), Aitana Bonmati (Sportswoman), the Spain Women's Football Team (Team of the Year), Arisa Trew (Action Sportsperson), Jude Bellingham (Breakthrough), Simone Biles (Comeback), Diede de Groot (Disability), and the Fundacion Rafa Nadal (Sport for Good). In $2023$, the winners were Lionel Messi (Sportsman), Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Sportswoman), the Argentina Men's Football Team (Team of the Year), Eileen Gu (Action Sportsperson), Carlos Alcaraz (Breakthrough), Christian Eriksen (Comeback), Catherine Debrunner (Disability), and TeamUp (Sport for Good). Earlier, in $2022$, Valentino Rossi won the Sporting Icon Award, and Tom Brady won the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Billie Jean King won Lifetime Achievement in $2021$.

BBC Sports Personality of the Year

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is one of the most prestigious sports awards in the United Kingdom. It was established in $1954$ with the goal of honoring the athlete from the UK who performed most prominently that year. The award is primarily given to British citizens or individuals residing in the UK who are active in sports competitions there. The first person to win this award was Christopher Chataway in $1954$. Athletes who are not British citizens are considered for the BBC World Sport Star of the Year category. Other awards provided include Best Team, Best Coach, World Sport Star, Best Young Sports Personality, Lifetime Achievement, and the Helen Rollason Award, which is given to those who show outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.

In the $2025$ awards, Rory McIlroy won the Sports Personality of the Year for Golf. Mondo Duplantis won the World Sport Star award for Pole Vault. The Europe Ryder Cup Team won the award for Best Team. Sarina Wiegman, the head coach of the England Women's Team, won Best Coach. Michelle Agyemang won the Best Young Sports Personality for Football. Thierry Henry was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Football. The Helen Rollason Award was given to Sergio Aguiar and David Stancomb.

Ballon d'Or

The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award in world football. The name translates to Golden Ball in French. Since $1956$, the French news magazine France Football has presented this award. The first winner of the Ballon d'Or was Stanley Matthews. In $2018$, the Ballon d'Or Feminin was established to recognize excellence in women's football, with Ada Hegerberg becoming the first recipient. Initially, the award was only given to European citizens playing for European clubs, but since $2007$, it became a global honor covering all professional football players worldwide. Lionel Messi holds the record for winning the award the most times in football history, having won it $8$ times in the years $2009$, $2010$, $2011$, $2012$, $2015$, $2019$, $2021$, and $2023$.

In $2024$, the Men's Ballon d'Or went to Rodri from Spain and Manchester City, while the Women's Ballon d'Or went to Aitana Bonmati from Spain and Barcelona. Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for the best U-21 player. Emiliano Martinez won the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper. Carlo Ancelotti and Emma Hayes won for Best Men's and Women's Coach respectively. Real Madrid was the best Men's club, and Barcelona was the best Women's club. Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe shared the Gerd Muller Trophy for best striker. Jenni Hermoso won the Socrates Award for social work. By $2025$, Aitana Bonmati became the first woman to win the award three times consecutively. Ousmane Dembele won the Men's Ballon d'Or for $2025$. Other $2025$ winners included Lamine Yamal (Kopa), Vicky Lopez (Women's Kopa), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Yashin), Hannah Hampton (Women's Yashin), Viktor Gyokeres (Gerd Muller), Ewa Pajor (Women's Gerd Muller), Luis Enrique (Johan Cruyff Trophy - Men's Coach), and Sarina Wiegman (Johan Cruyff Trophy - Women's Coach). PSG and Arsenal were Men's and Women's clubs of the year, while the Socrates Award went to Fundacion Xana.

FIFA Football Awards

FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) officially provides annual awards known as The Best FIFA Football Awards, a name adopted in $2016$. The first FIFA awards ceremony took place in $1991$, where Lothar Matthaus from Germany was named the first FIFA World Player of the Year. The FIFA Women's World Player award was established in $2001$, with Mia Hamm from the USA becoming its first winner. The oldest among the FIFA awards is the FIFA Fair Play Award, established in $1987$, first won by the fans of the Scottish club Dundee United. In $2009$, the FIFA Puskas Award was created to honor the best goal scored during the year, named after the Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas. Cristiano Ronaldo was its first winner.

In $2024$, Aitana Bonmati won Best FIFA Women's Player, and Vinicius Junior won Best FIFA Men's Player. Alyson Naeher and Emiliano Martinez were named best goalkeepers. Emma Hayes and Carlo Ancelotti were the best coaches. Marta received the FIFA Marta Award, and Alejandro Garnacho won the Puskas Award. Gilberto Gandra Maura won the FIFA Fan Award, and Thiago Maia won the Fair Play Award. In $2025$, the winners included Aitana Bonmati (Women's Player), Ousmane Dembele (Men's Player), Hannah Hampton (Women's Goalkeeper), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Men's Goalkeeper), Sarina Wiegman (Women's Coach), Luis Enrique (Men's Coach), Lisbeth Ovalle (Marta Award), Santiago Montiel (Puskas), and Zakho SC fans (Fan Award). The Fair Play award was given to Dr. Andreas Harms-Newking and SSV Jahn Regensburg. Lionel Messi holds the record for being selected as the best FIFA Men's player $8$ times.

ICC (International Cricket Council) Awards

The ICC Awards were established in $2004$ to honor the best performances and moments in international cricket across Test, One Day International (ODI), and T20 International (T20I) formats. The first ceremony was held in London on September $7$, $2004$. The Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy is the prize for the world's best male cricketer, named after the West Indian legend. The corresponding award for women is the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, first awarded in $2017$ to Ellyse Perry from Australia. Virat Kohli holds the record for winning the most ICC awards with a total of $10$, while Ellyse Perry holds the record for women with $6$ awards.

In the inaugural $2004$ awards, Rahul Dravid won both the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and Test Player of the Year. Andrew Flintoff won ODI Player of the Year, Irfan Pathan won Emerging Player, Simon Taufel won Umpire of the Year, and New Zealand won the Spirit of Cricket Award. For the $2023$ awards, Pat Cummins won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, and Nat Sciver-Brunt won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. Usman Khawaja won Test Player, Chamari Athapaththu won Women's ODI Player (the first Sri Lankan woman to win a major ICC award), and Virat Kohli won Men's ODI Player. Suryakumar Yadav won Men's T20 Player, and Hayley Matthews won Women's T20 Player. Rachin Ravindra and Phoebe Litchfield won Emerging Player awards. Bas de Leede and Queentor Abel were Associate Players of the Year. Richard Illingworth was Umpire of the Year, and Zimbabwe Cricket won the Spirit of Cricket Award.

For the $2024$ awards, Jasprit Bumrah won both the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and Test Player of the Year, making him the first Indian fast bowler to win the cricket player of the year award. Melie Kerr won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Women's T20 Player of the Year. Smriti Mandhana won Women's ODI Player, Azmatullah Omarzai won Men's ODI Player, and Arshdeep Singh won Men's T20 Player. Kamindu Mendis and Annerie Dercksen won Emerging Player awards, whereas Gerhard Erasmus and Esha Oza won Associate Player awards. Richard Illingworth remained Umpire of the Year.

ICC Decade Awards and Hall of Fame

The ICC Awards of the Decade ($2011$-$2020$) recognized Virat Kohli as the Best Male Cricketer of the Decade (Sir Garfield Sobers Award) and Best ODI Player. Ellyse Perry was named the Best Female Cricketer (Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award) along with the Best ODI and T20 Player. Steve Smith won Test Player of the Decade, and Rashid Khan was Men's T20 Player of the Decade. Kyle Coetzer and Kathryn Bryce won Associate Player awards, while M.S. Dhoni won the Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade.

Indian players inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame include Sunil Gavaskar ($2009$), Bishan Singh Bedi ($2009$), Kapil Dev ($2010$), Anil Kumble ($2015$), Rahul Dravid ($2018$), Sachin Tendulkar ($2019$), Vinoo Mankad ($2021$), Diana Edulji ($2023$), Virender Sehwag ($2023$), Neetu David ($2024$), and M.S. Dhoni ($2025$).

Regarding historic Indian achievements, Ravichandran Ashwin was the first Indian spinner to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy in $2016$. Virat Kohli was the first player to win the award in consecutive years ($2017$ and $2018$). M.S. Dhoni was the first player to win the ODI Player of the Year award twice consecutively ($2008$ and $2009$). Suryakumar Yadav shared a similar feat in T20I, winning in $2022$ and $2023$. Other Indian winners include Gautam Gambhir ($2009$ Test Player), Rohit Sharma ($2019$ ODI Player), and Smriti Mandhana ($2018$, $2021$, $2024$ Women's ODI Player).

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack Awards

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, known as the Bible of Cricket, was established in $1864$. The famous Cricketer of the Year award began in $1889$. Normally, an athlete receives this award only once in their lifetime, honoring the impact they made over an English cricket season. In $2004$, the Leading Cricketer in the World award was established, which can be won multiple times. The first Cricketer of the Year awards in $1889$ were given to six bowlers: George Lohmann, Johnny Briggs, John Ferris, Charlie Turner, Sammy Woods, and Bobby Peel. Ricky Ponting was the first to win the Leading Cricketer in the World award in $2004$.

In the $2024$ awards, Pat Cummins and Nat Sciver-Brunt were named Leading Cricketers. Travis Head won the Wisden Trophy. Hayley Matthews was the Leading T20 Cricketer. The five Cricketers of the Year were Mitchell Starc, Usman Khawaja, Ashleigh Gardner, Harry Brook, and Mark Wood. In the $2025$ awards, Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana were named Leading Cricketers in the World. Nicholas Pooran was the Leading T20 Cricketer. The five Cricketers of the Year included Gus Atkinson, Liam Dawson, Sophie Ecclestone, Jamie Smith, and Dan Worrall. In the $2026$ edition, Mitchell Starc and Deepti Sharma are the Leading Cricketers, with Abhishek Sharma as the Leading T20 Cricketer. The five Cricketers of the Year include Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Siraj, and Haseeb Hameed.

ATP, FIH, and BWF Awards

The ATP Awards honor the best performers in men's professional tennis. In $2024$, Jannik Sinner was Player of the Year, and Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic were Doubles Team of the Year. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard won Breakthrough Player, Matteo Berrettini won Comeback Player, and Grigor Dimitrov won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award. In $2025$, Carlos Alcaraz won both Player of the Year and the Sportsmanship Award. Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool were the best doubles team.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey Stars Awards were established in $1998$. For $2024$, Harmanpreet Singh of India won Player of the Year, and P.R. Sreejesh won Goalkeeper of the Year. Yibbi Jansen and Ye Jiao won the same for women. In $2025$, Tom Boon and Xan de Waard were Players of the Year. Raghu Prasad from India was Umpire of the Year.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) Awards recognize badminton excellence. In $2024$, Shi Yu Qi and An Se Young were Singles Players of the Year. Alex Lanier won the Eddy Choong Rising Star Award, and Viktor Axelsen and An Se Young won the Player's Player of the Year awards. In $2025$, Shi Yu Qi and An Se Young repeated as singles winners, while Seo Seung Jae and Kim Won Ho were the doubles team of the year.

World Athletics and World Games Awards

World Athletics Awards were established in $1988$, first won by Carl Lewis and Florence Griffith-Joyner. Usain Bolt holds the record with $6$ wins. In $2024$, Letsile Tebogo and Sifan Hassan were Athletes of the Year. Track awards went to Letsile Tebogo and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, while Field awards went to Mondo Duplantis and Yaroslava Mahuchikh. For $2025$, Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone are Athletes of the Year.

The International World Games Association (IWGA) presents the World Games Athlete of the Year based on public voting. Notable winners include Victoria Chavez ($2025$), Veddriq Leonardo ($2024$), Conrado Moscoso ($2023$), Valeria Cardenas ($2022$), P.R. Sreejesh ($2021$), and Rani Rampal ($2020$). Rani Rampal was the first hockey player in the world to win this award.

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is India's highest sporting honor. It is awarded for the most outstanding performance in sports over a period of four years. The award includes a medal, a certificate, and a cash prize of $25^{\text{th}}\text{lakh}$. It was established in $1991$-$92$ and was formerly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award until it was renamed in $2021$ after the hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports presents this award. The first recipient was Vishwanathan Anand for Chess. In $2024$, the winners are D. Gukesh (Chess), Harmanpreet Singh (Hockey), Praveen Kumar (Para-Athletics), and Manu Bhaker (Shooting). In $2023$, the winners were Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty for Badminton. Notable Malayali winners include K.M. Beenamol ($2002$), Anju Bobby George ($2003$), and P.R. Sreejesh ($2021$). Sachin Tendulkar was the first cricketer to win in $1997$-$1998$.

Arjuna Award

The Arjuna Award is India's second-highest sporting honor, started in $1961$. It considers performance over four years along with qualities like leadership and discipline. It carries a bronze statue of Arjuna, a certificate, and a cash prize of $15^{\text{th}}\text{lakh}$. The first winner in $1961$ was G.S. Randhawa. The first female winner was Anna Lumsden for Hockey. The first Malayali winner was C. Balakrishnan in $1965$. In $2024$, winners include Jyothi Yarraji, Annu Rani, Neethu, Sweety, Vantika Agrawal, and several para-athletes like Sheetal Devi. In $2023$, winners included Mohammed Shami (Cricket), Ojas Pravin Deotale, and Aditi Gopichand Swami.

Many Malayali athletes have won the Arjuna Award, including T.C. Yohannan ($1974$), K.C. Elamma ($1975$), Jimmy George ($1976$), P.T. Usha ($1983$), Shiny Abraham ($2004$ award for Genil Krishnan), I.M. Vijayan ($2002$), P.R. Sreejesh ($2015$), Eldhose Paul ($2022$), H.S. Prannoy ($2022$), and Sajan Prakash ($2024$). I.M. Vijayan is also known as Kaalahiran.

Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand Awards

The Dronacharya Award is presented to outstanding coaches. Established in $1985$, it is usually distributed on August $29$ (National Sports Day). For the Lifetime category, the prize is $15^{\text{th}}\text{lakh}$, and for the Regular category, it is $10^{\text{th}}\text{lakh}$. The first winners in $1985$ were Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat, O.M. Nambiar (coach of P.T. Usha), and Om Prakash Bhardwaj. Hansa Sharma was the first female winner. In $2023$, winners included Lalit Kumar (Wrestling) and R.B. Ramesh (Chess). In $2024$, winners included Subhash Rana (Para-Shooting) and S. Muralidharan (Badminton).

The Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement recognizes those who contribute to sport even after retirement. Established in $2002$, it includes a statue and $10^{\text{th}}\text{lakh}$. First winners were Ashoka Diwan, Aparna Ghosh, and Shahuraj Birajdar. In $2024$, the award was renamed the Arjuna Award (Life Time).

Hockey India, AIFF, Adventure, and BCCI Awards

Hockey India Awards began in $2015$. For $2026$, winners include Manoj Kondbegi, Bichu Devi Kharibam, Navneet Kaur, Hardik Singh, and Zafar Iqbal (Lifetime). AIFF Awards in $2025$ named Subhasish Bose and Soumya Guguloth as players of the year. The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award is the highest adventure honor in India, established in $1993$-$94$, carrying a prize of $15^{\text{th}}\text{lakh}$. Jitin Vijayan was the first Malayali to win in the Air category.

BCCI Awards for $2023$-$2024$ honored Sachin Tendulkar with the Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award. Jasprit Bumrah won the Polly Umrigar Award. In $2024$-$2025$, Shubman Gill won the Polly Umrigar Award, while Roger Binny, Rahul Dravid, and Mithali Raj received Lifetime Achievement awards.

G.V. Raja Awards

The G.V. Raja Award is the highest sporting honor in Kerala, named after Colonel Godavarma Raja, the father of Kerala sports and founder-president of the Kerala State Sports Council. The prize is $3^{\text{th}}\text{lakh}$. In $2023$, Mohammed Ajmal and Ancy Sojan were best athletes. P.S. Abdul Razak won the Olympian Suresh Babu Lifetime Achievement Award. In $2024$, Mohammed Afsal and P.K. Aishwarya were named best athletes, while Subhash George won the Lifetime Achievement Award and Jacob Joseph was best coach from St. George College.