Three Asians, one African out of 42 show lack of diversity among Laureus awards nominees, says global sports consultant

Vinesh Phogat’s first thought when informed of her historic Laureus World Sports Awards nomination was one of bewilderment.

“Honestly, I still don’t know what this nomination is about,” the Indian wrestler said on Monday. “I just know that my name has been put for voting. I had not even heard of Laureus. And if no Indian athlete has been nominated before, I can only be proud of it.”

The Asian Games gold medallist’s ignorance about the honour goes to the heart of the problem – a lack of diversity, says Donna Furlong Stelling, a global adviser in sport and specialist in sports diplomacy.

“With 80 per cent of nominees for the Laureus World Sports Awards from North America and Europe, we need greater recognition and representation of inspiring athletes from around the world who are breaking barriers on and off the field,” said Stelling, an Australian based in Dubai.

The Laureus awards were launched in 2000 with the aim of “bridging the gaps in society and changing the way people look at the world”. However, it is clear there is still much work to do to fulfil this objective with Phogat, the first Indian to be nominated for a Laureus award (Comeback of the Year), one of three Asians among the 42 nominees. The other two are US Open tennis champion Naomi Osaka (Breakthrough of the Year) and figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu (Comeback of the Year), both from Japan.

Africa received one nomination through Kenyan marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge (Sportsman of the Year).

“Laureus has some work to do to elevate their own profile in Asia,” said Stelling. “There are amazing athletes across the Asian continent who are making a big impact in both sports and society from the Afghanistan women’s football team to the brave MeToo athletes from South Korea.