Laureus Awards recognise "the best"

What have Dennis Hopper, Vladimir Putin and the South African rugby team got in common?

They were all guests at Monday's Laureus World Sports Awards - the yearly "sports Oscars", this year held in St. Petersburg.

But did squash get a look in? ...

Ok, that might be a silly question given the lack of attention the sport currently receives from the world's media..

But the awards do exist to "recognise the achievements of those teams and individuals who symbolise the very best in sport". Surely Nicol David and Amr Shabana would get a mention?

"The best", however, is almost as vaguely defined here as it is in the BBC's annual Sports Personality of the Year yawnathon.

The voting process for the Laureus awards appears rigourously fair, with a selection panel of the world's "leading sports editors, writers and broadcasters" from over 80 countries voting for a shortlist of six nominations in each award category. The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy then vote by secret ballot to select the Award winners. The whole process is monitored by independent auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Few would argue with the fact that Rodger Federer is one of the greatest sportsmen on the planet. But awarding the him the accolade for the fourth time does render the event somewhat predictable.

Reference to the history of the awards shows that the winners in the major categories rarely come from sports other than tennis, football, golf, motor racing and athletics.

It can only be a coincidence that these are the sports that attract the most money through sponsorship and advertising ...

Laureus World Sports Awards