Henry Cavill, star of Man of Steel, to present Laureus Award in Shanghai
Celebrated Korean actress Ha Ji-won also to attend Awards Ceremony
Laureus Awards to be hosted by film and TV star Benedict Cumberbatch
Awards Ceremony to be held in Shanghai Grand Theatre on April 15
Henry Cavill, widely acclaimed for his role as Superman in the highly successful film Man of Steel, will be swapping his blue tunic and red cape for more formal dress to present an Award in Shanghai’s Grand Theatre next week during the Laureus World Sports Awards.
Cavill, who will shortly be seen in Guy Ritchie’s film Man from UNCLE and has recently completed the filming of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, said: “It will be such an honour to be in the same room as these great sportsmen and women. They really are supermen and superwomen who achieve amazing feats year in, year out. As a sports enthusiast, I am looking forward to being part of such a special occasion.”
Ha Ji-won, star of a succession of blockbuster films and TV shows, including the KBS’ historical drama Hwang Jini, SBS’ romantic comedy Secret Garden and Empress Ki from MBC, has won a succession of international awards. During the shooting for The King 2 Hearts, she completed her own martial arts stunts without a double and has performed sports aerobics, boxing and table tennis in other productions.
Henry Cavill made his feature film debut in The Count of Monte Cristo. He went on to star in Tristan & Isolde and Stardust, then Whatever Works for director Woody Allen and Immortals for director Tarsem Singh. On the small screen he starred in the Showtime series The Tudors for four seasons. He will next shoot Stratton, based on a series of novels by Duncan Falconer, in Europe this summer.
Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports more than 150 community sports projects in 34 countries, including China. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over €60 million for projects which have improved the lives of millions of young people.
The Awards Ceremony, attended by legends of sport past and present, celebrates the achievements of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year. The Host Partner of the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards is Chinese textile and wool company HengYuanXiang Group (HYX), and the event will receive the strong support of the Shanghai Municipal Government.
The full list of Nominees for the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards is:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Tennis; Lewis Hamilton (UK) Motor Racing; Renaud Lavillenie (France) Athletics; Rory McIlroy (UK) Golf; Marc Márquez (Spain) Motor Cycling; Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Football.
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Valerie Adams (NZ) Athletics; Marit Bjørgen (Norway) Nordic Skiing; Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) Athletics; Tina Maze (Slovenia) Alpine Skiing; Li Na (China) Tennis: Serena Williams (US) Tennis.
Laureus World Team of the Year
European Ryder Cup Team (Golf); Germany Men’s Football Team; Mercedes AMG Petronas Team (Germany); Real Madrid Football Team (Spain); San Antonio Spurs (US) Basketball; Switzerland Davis Cup Team (Tennis).
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award
Marin Cilic (Croatia) Tennis; Mario Götze (Germany) Football; Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Motor Racing; James Rodriguez (Colombia) Football; Mikaela Shiffrin (US) Alpine Skiing; Switzerland Davis Cup Team (Tennis).
Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award
Francesco Acerbi (Italy) Football; Schalk Burger (South Africa) Rugby; Diego Milito (Argentina) Football; Jo Pavey (UK) Athletics; Pierre Vaultier (France) Snowboarding; Oliver Wilson (UK) Golf.
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Shelley Gautier (Canada) Cycling; Tatyana McFadden (US) Wheelchair Racing; Roman Petushkov (Russia) Nordic Skiing; Anna Schaffelhuber (Germany) Alpine Skiing; Sarah Storey (UK) Cycling; Leung Yuk Wing (Hong Kong SAR China) Boccia.
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award
Alan Eustace (US) Skydiving; Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) Surfing; Nyjah Huston (US) Skateboarding; Sage Kotsenburg (US) Snowboarding; Danny MacAskill (UK) Trials Cycling; Gabriel Medina (Brazil) Surfing.
Among the sporting greats who have previously been named as winners of Laureus Awards over the last 15 years have been Usain Bolt, Sebastian Coe, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Alex Ferguson, Lewis Hamilton, Kelly Holmes, Yao Ming, Rafael Nadal, Pelé, Steve Redgrave, Ronaldo, Michael Schumacher, Kelly Slater, Shaun White, Serena Williams, Liu Xiang and Zinedine Zidane.
Guests who have attended previous Awards Ceremonies in the past have included David and Victoria Beckham, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jackie Chan, Thandie Newton, Clive Owen and Eva Longoria.
