Paris (AFP)

The Laureus Awards ceremony, broadcast by video conference Thursday evening in Seville, honored several big names in world sport, including Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal, Lewis Hamilton and Mohamed Salah, among other personalities.

Bayern Munich, Champions League winners last August, have also been chosen by the Laureus Academy jury for the second time.

For the very popular Osaka and Nadal, worthy representatives of world tennis, these are respectively the fourth and the second Laureus trophy.

Hamilton the Briton, seven-time F1 world champion ennobled by the Queen at the beginning of January, had the honor of receiving the first Laureus Trophy for "social commitment", for his position in favor of the "Black Live Matters" movement , on the circuits, after the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.

As for Mo Salah, the Egyptian striker from Liverpool, he was distinguished by the Trophy of "sports inspiration".

Much like Hamilton, he is very committed to a great cause, that of women's equality in the Middle East, and was named by Time magazine among the 100 most influential people in the world.

Other trophies were awarded to Canadian snowboarder Max Parrot, multiple X Games medalist, "Comeback of the year" after his battle with cancer at just 26 years old.

Tennis legend American Billie Jean King received a lifetime achievement trophy.

The one for "sporting moment" was attributed to Chris Nikic, the first athlete victim of Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman.

© 2021 AFP