After only a handful of A-listers turned up for the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, celebrity spotters might be heartened by the news that the capital will again be playing host to the Laureus Awards.
At last year’s awards, acting greats such as Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hugh Grant and Clive Owen shared the red carpet alongside innumerable sporting legends. And the Laureus Academy has just announced that the show, dubbed the Oscars of sport, will take place in the UAE again on February 7, 2011, with more big name celebrities due to attend.
Laureus chairman and Olympic gold medal-winning 400m hurdler Edwin Moses told a recent press conference that making the decision to return to the Emirates Palace was easy. He said: ‘Abu Dhabi was an incredible host last year for the 10th anniversary in what we all agree was the best ceremony ever. We’ve been everywhere with the awards, but the Arab Peninsula was a different experience, the hospitality was outstanding – now we are proud to announce our return to the UAE capital next year.’
The Laureus World Sports Academy is made up of 46 former champions from various sports, who hold a secret ballot to select their most outstanding sportspeople of the year. Last year’s winners included sprinter Usain Bolt, tennis star Serena Williams and racing driver Jenson Button.
