From skateboarding to school, Skateistan embraces the power of sport and wins Laureus Sport for Good Award

Skateistan, an organisation built on the foundations of the power of sport, has won the prestigious Laureus Sport for Good Award, it was revealed at the 16th Laureus World Sports Awards in Shanghai. For the past seven years Skateistan has given youngsters in troubled environments a chance to a better life through skateboarding.

Laureus Academy Member and the best-known Action sportsperson in history Tony Hawk offered his support for a project close to his heart. Hawk said: “I can’t think of another organisation that so effectively and efficiently has harnessed the power of skateboarding to engage young people and helps them to learn such valuable lessons.”

‘Sport can change the world’ said Laureus Patron Nelson Mandela at the first Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000, and the Laureus Sport for Good Award is presented each year to a humanitarian project or an individual who has used that as the inspiration for their work to make a difference to the lives of young people around the world.

The Skateistan organisation was created when Australian Oliver Percovic, first visited Kabul in February 2007 carrying a few items of clothing, a few skateboards and very little else. In his early days in the city, Percovic took to an empty and un-used water-fountain to practise the sport he loves, catching the eye of young Afghans in the process.

Though hard work and dedication to the cause, the Skateistan team have built a full school and indoor skate park in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif, which now stand as the two largest sporting facilities in Kabul. The organisation has also funded construction of an indoor skate park in Phnom-Penh, Cambodia.

The link between sport and education is at the centre of Skateistan’s mission. The organisation gives thousands of young people access to a ‘Back-to-School’ programme, which gives students who may have fallen out of education, the chance to catch up with their studies and return to public schooling with their peers. Over the past seven years, the programme has offered Afghans between the age of five and 18, the chance to skateboard. In a country where girls are unable to ride bikes, Ollie’s team has made an effort to introduce young girls to the sport, with 40% of Skateistan students being girls.

Oliver received the Laureus statuette from Ruud Gullit. Oliver Percovic said: “I’m honoured to receive this prestigious Award on behalf of Skateistan. When I arrived in Afghanistan with a few skateboards, I didn’t dream of what we’ve achieved so far with Skateistan, but I’ve learnt that with a little persistence and belief in what you do, then the powers of sport to change the world hold no bounds.”

The Laureus World Sports Awards were unveiled at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. In other categories, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic won his second Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award after another brilliant 12 months which featured a second Wimbledon victory, while Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba was named Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year after breaking three world records in different events in two weeks. She was only the third ever person to achieve that feat, along with athletic giants Jesse Owens and Usain Bolt.

The German Football Team was named Laureus World Team of the Year after becoming the first European side to win the FIFA World Cup in South America, while there was a double success for the United States with wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden winning the Laureus Disability Award and Alan Eustace receiving the Laureus Action Sports Award after his record-breaking freefall from the edge of space.

There was an emotional welcome from the guests at the Awards Ceremony for South Africa’s Schalk Burger, who won the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award, after recovering from life-threatening meningitis to win his place back in the Springboks rugby team.

The Awards were announced in seven categories. The full list of winners is:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Genzebe Dibaba
Laureus World Team of the Year: Germany Men’s Football Team
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Daniel Ricciardo
Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Schalk Burger
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Tatyana McFadden
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Alan Eustace
Laureus Sport for Good Award: Skateistan

There were three additional Awards: the Laureus Spirit of Sport Award was presented to Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming, the Laureus Academy Exceptional Achievement Award was given to retired tennis star Li Na and the Laureus Sport for Good Award was presented to the worldwide skateboard programme Skateistan.

During the event, it was also announced that Yao Ming and Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar had been elected the newest members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.

For full biographies of Winners and Nominees go to www.laureus.com

The globally televised Laureus World Sports Awards was hosted by British film and TV actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Among the presenters were Hollywood legend Bill Murray, star of iconic films such as Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters and Hyde Park on Hudson, Henry Cavill, who played Superman in the film Man of Steel, multi award-winning Korean actress Ha Ji-won, and actress and model Karolína Kurková.

The Awards Ceremony is attended by legends of sport past and present and 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 has received the strong support of the Shanghai Municipal Government.

The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy present in Shanghai were: Nadia Comaneci, Deng Yaping, Mick Doohan, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mika Hakkinen, Mike Horn, Michael Johnson, Kip Keino, Franz Klammer, Li Xiaopeng, Tegla Loroupe, Edwin Moses, Robby Naish, Ilie Nastase, Alexey Nemov, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Mark Spitz, Sachin Tendulkar, Daley Thompson, Steve Waugh, Yang Yang and Yao Ming.

Other guests included: Valerie Adams, Robert Baker, Annabelle Bond, Schalk Burger, Cafu, Eric Cantona, Shelley Gautier, Michael Holding, Nyjah Huston, Janica Kostelic, Jens Lehmann, Leung Yuk Wing, Li Ning, Vanesa Lorenzo, Sage Kotsenburg, Danny MacAskill, Tina Maze, Heyneke Meyer, Roman Petushkov, Carles Puyol, Louis Saha, Anna Schaffelhuber, Sarah Storey, Sun Wen, Pierre Vaultier, Jean de Villiers and Ireen Wüst.

Shanghai, one of China’s most iconic travel destinations and one of the most spectacular cities on Earth, is a perfect location for the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards. A popular tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks, such as The Bund, City God Temple and Yu Garden, as well as the dramatic Lujiazui skyline, it is a showcase for the booming economy of China. Shanghai mixes old world charm with a modern and vibrant city, perfectly blending the past and present. Shanghai annually hosts some of the biggest sports events in the world, including the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix and the IAAF Shanghai Diamond League meeting.

Enjoying a long-standing reputation in China, HYX is a leading force in the textile and garment industry. In recent years HYX has evolved into a modern enterprise developing its own unique ‘brand and culture’, through brands like ‘HYX’, ‘Fazeya’ and ‘Nanonan’. For many years, HYX has actively focused on sport and been a partner in sports events like football, basketball, gymnastics and marathon. In December 2005, HYX became the first non-sports textile and costume sponsor in the history of the Olympics and three years later became the first partner of the Chinese Olympic Committee, customizing the Olympic kit for Chinese athletes.

The ‘Eternal Love’ programme, co-founded by HYX and the China Children and Teenagers’ Foundation, has won the China Charity Award twice, being honoured as the No.1 activity for caring for orphaned and disabled children in China. Also, the ‘HYX Literature Star High School Students’ Writing Contest’ has become the most influential event of its kind, attracting the largest number of contestants. In 1997 and 2007 HYX supported the ‘10,000 Teenagers’ Recreational and Sports Activities’ event in Tiananmen Square, in Beijing, China, to promote the health of teenagers.