Seven-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton was awarded the Laureus Athlete Advocate of the Year Award at the 22nd edition of the Laureus World Sports Awards. Hamilton received the honor during Thursday night’s virtual awards ceremony, which was presented from the Spanish city of Seville. This year’s ceremony was hosted by Paz Vega, one of Spain’s great international actresses and a native of host city Seville. Vega, who has starred in countless European and Hollywood movies.
During the evening, seven-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton was presented with the Laureus Athlete Advocate of the Year Award. This award celebrates the work of athletes who have harnessed their power and influence as elite sportsmen and women to bring change to the world around them and who have inspired a new generation to tackle inequality and injustice. Hamilton clinched a record-equalling seventh Drivers’ Championship late last year, driving for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Hamilton’s remarkable achievements on the track have been matched by his increasingly powerful stance on racial justice and social and environmental issues.
As well as honoring brilliant sporting performances, the annual awards ceremony also shines a spotlight on the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which currently supports more than 250 projects in over 40 countries. This year’s ceremony highlighted inspirational stories about those who have worked tirelessly to combat the effects of the pandemic over the course of the last year and highlighted the recent advocacy work of sportsmen and women, who have used their influence and power to transform lives beyond sport.
In 2019, approximately 300,000 young people around the world benefitted from more than 200 projects supported by Laureus Sport for Good in over 40 countries; programs that use sport to promote social change and put an end to violence, discrimination and disadvantage. Every program Laureus supports addresses at least one of the following six social issues, which align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Health, Education, Women and Girls, Employability, Inclusive Society and Peaceful Society.