I really want to finish on a high note in Abu Dhabi and at the same time raise as much as I can for Laureus

‘If I have to pick, I would go for Quintana

I put Vincenzo Nibali, Nairo Quintana and Chris Froome ahead as my first three favourites

Our relationship with IWC Schaffhausen stretches back ten years and the engraved watch is very special and dear to us. We receive so many beautiful drawings from children around the world, and you can see the many cultural influences in their art. The funds from the sale of this watch will go directly towards supporting our Laureus projects, and this gives children hope and dreams. Using sport for social change clearly works, and this is why our relationship with IWC has lasted this long. We look forward to it continuing for many years to come

I am very happy to join the Laureus Family. Sport has given me so much over the years and I want to do all I can to give back to society. I know Laureus has many projects and I think sport is a fantastic tool to inspire youth.

I wish I could have had all those guys in my teams, but I am delighted they are with me now and showing their support for Laureus, which is not just about the Awards, but about the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

“I am delighted the selectors have picked me again to be part of the team for such an important event for the second straight year. We all admire the achievements of the greatest sportsmen and women that we meet, so to be able to share the stage for such a signature moment for them is a treat for me.

“I am a big sports enthusiast and last year was a real pleasure for me. I met Tony Hawk, my childhood hero, and had the chance to swap a few running tips with Sebastian Coe and Daley Thompson. And of course it is all for such a good cause. The work Laureus does around the world, using sport to improve the lives of young people, is an inspiration and I am delighted to be part of this very special event.”

It was all set up by Stan winning the [2014] Australian Open. That gave him confidence for the rest of his career to know that when things are going his way, anything can happen, and I think it pulled him through in the Davis Cup, too, because he had to be so nervous. I know I would have been in that situation.

“I think whenever we are in the moment, we want to say he's the greatest of all time because we want to be part of it and the next generation will be claiming somebody of their own, just like the generation before [will want] Pete Sampras and before that Rod Laver.

We are the first European team to have won a world football championship in South America. I think that was a marvellous achievement on the part of everyone involved. So we shall see. Naturally we would be delighted to win.

My heart says Real Madrid, but when one team wins the competition at the World Cup, I think it’s the most important competition in this last year. For this reason, I think, Germany national team is the best team in the world.

We have a great squad and the next tournaments can be successful as well, but first we need to qualify for the European Championships and then go ahead. Playing for the German team is always an honour and we can be happy that we have so many great and skillful players and a real good mixture of young guys and experienced players.

“In 2014, I also played really well there and lost to the eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals in five sets. That was a pretty close match. I felt the best on grass ever last year. I believe having Goran in my corner, who has been known in history for one of the best performances on grass and one of the best grass players ever, is a big, big plus for me.”

“It is a huge accomplishment even for me to be nominated and to be among so many of these great athletes in the past who were winners. It’s just a huge sign for me that I had a great, great season in 2014 and my work is recognised by many sports athletes.”

“Becoming a Laureus Ambassador gives me the opportunity to help promote inclusive sport and play for children everywhere, which is something I am very passionate about. I stand behind Laureus USA’s commitment to providing support to sport for good organizations like Playworks in order to help strengthen their reach and improve social, health and education outcomes for youth in need.”

“It is a true honor to welcome such an inspiring Paralympic athlete and fellow Team USA member, Bob Lujano, to the Laureus family. Lujano has overcome his fair share of challenges through his commitment and dedication, and we are thrilled to have him on board to help guide children across the country to help them understand how to deal with adversity and set themselves on a path to success”.

t’s a great honour to welcome Jean into our Laureus family. As a true ambassador for his country and the sport of rugby, his involvement in the work of the Laureus Foundation will definitely play a role in changing many lives through sport. We wish him well on his road to recovery and hope to see him running out for the Springboks in the Rugby World Cup later this year

I know something about being a captain of a Test rugby team and the pressure that involves. Jean de Villiers has done a fantastic job as captain of the Springboks since 2012 and throughout he has also remained a caring person who believes that top sportsmen and women can help change and shape the lives of the less privileged. I warmly welcome Jean as a Laureus Ambassador. Laureus has done great work in South Africa and I know Jean will add even more to its ability to change the lives of young people there

It's a huge honour for me to become involved with Laureus, whom I regard as one of the pre-eminent organisations worldwide ensuring sport adds value to the lives of people less fortunate than we are. From the Springboks' side, we've been involved in a number of Laureus projects, not only in South Africa but also abroad, and I've experienced first-hand what a difference sport can make to people. By getting involved as a Laureus Ambassador, I'm hoping to keep on making a difference. I'd like to thank Laureus for affording me this opportunity and I know their projects will also inspire me.

amie is a phenomenal athlete. His arsenal of tricks is limitless, but he is also a fierce competitor. He won an unprecedented nine gold medals in a row at X-Games, and at age 43 he doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. I am proud he has become a Laureus Ambassador and I’m sure he will put that same energy into the work of the Laureus Foundation in the US and around the world. I was also impressed to see that he wasted no time getting involved with youngsters at a project in New York on the same day his Laureus association was announced.

As the newest Laureus Ambassador, I’m excited to team up with I Challenge Myself to help re-energize physical education in NYC public high schools. I am very much looking forward to my duties as a Laureus Ambassador which start today. I stand behind Laureus USA’s commitment to support sport for good organisations to strengthen their reach and improve social, health and educational opportunities for youth. You would never think riding a bicycle for most of your life would ever lead to anything, but when you have a dream, and a passion for something you love, it's amazing how far it will take you.

It is my great honour to welcome BMX legend Jamie Bestwick to the Laureus family. We are looking forward to working with Jamie with a joint mission of helping to drive the positive power of sports across the country. Working together with Jamie and I Challenge Myself is just the beginning of the difference we would like to make

We are delighted to have the co-operation and involvement of a great athlete like Gerard Piqué. It is a privilege that he takes part in this great project which is the Laureus Foundation and that we can together reach more young people and children in need.

I believe in the importance of helping the most disadvantaged people through sport, especially youth and children. This is one of the characteristics that we, as sportspeople, have been instilled with at FC Barcelona since we were kids. I am very familiar with the great work that the Laureus Foundation does worldwide, improving the lives of millions of young people. I am delighted to be a Laureus Ambassador and I will do everything I can to support them in their cause.

To become a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy has made this an unforgettable day. It is exciting to see Laureus making such a commitment to my own country by electing myself and Yang Yang to join Deng Yaping as Chinese members of the Academy. I would like to thank all the members of the Laureus Academy for putting their faith in me and l assure them that I am excited to become a member of the Laureus Family and look forward to supporting Laureus in its humanitarian work.

I have always admired Laureus and what it has stood for. Its first Patron Nelson Mandela said that sport could change the world, which is a sentiment with which I totally agree. I am very much looking forward to the Laureus World Sports Awards in April, when the eyes of the sporting world will be on Shanghai, but I also appreciate the amazing work that Laureus has done as a charity since 2000 and the millions of young people who have benefited from its support. As an Academy Member, I look forward to doing what I can to help in the future.

I am happy to do what I can to help. Laureus is an organisation that I admire and the work that it has done to acknowledge the best of sport and also to use sport to help young people is very important. Whenever I have been able to, I have supported the activities of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Sport can change lives which is something that everyone who is involved in sport will tell you. Now that I am an Ambassador I hope that I can make a big contribution. I am also delighted that I have been invited to Shanghai to announce the names of the Nominees for this year’s Awards. I look forward to it.

It is an extraordinary honour to welcome such a great coach as Fabio. He has already taken part in many Laureus events and is so widely known around the world that I am sure he will help us to spread the Laureus message. We are delighted that he wants to join the Laureus Family and the Laureus Academy Members are looking forward to working with him.

It is a great, great honour to be invited to join all these amazing sports legends who have achieved so much in their careers and who now want to work to improve the lives of young people around the world. When Nelson Mandela was the Patron of Laureus, he said that sport was better than anything else at bringing people together. He was right and I will be working my hardest to make that happen.

On behalf of all the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy I would like to welcome Tegla. She achieved great success in her sporting career and now she has become a driving force for social change in Africa through the work of the Tegla Loroupe Foundation and the creation of the peace marathons which brought communities in East Africa together

I have known and admired Tegla Loroupe for many years. She had helped me promote the Casablanca Women's Race and the women's cause in Morocco by attending on a yearly bases. She has always had to fight against the odds, first to become a world-famous runner and then to fight to change society. She has many firsts to her name, particularly being the first African woman to win the New York Marathon. She is famous, of course, for setting up the peace marathons, but she has also consistently helped young children in her own part of Kenya and spoken out for women’s rights, which is something which she and I have in common. I hope this is an area in which we can work together in the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and I welcome her as an Academy Member.

You can make a very good case for both Germany and Real Madrid being the Team of the Year. I certainly believe that they will both be nominated. Germany’s World Cup success in Brazil was remarkable, especially the 7-1 semi-final victory over Brazil. You have to give Joachim Löw so much praise for creating the team and then delivering success in South America, which has not always been an easy place for European teams to win. “Of course Real Madrid have written a new chapter in their history, with their record tenth European Cup victory, and the quality they have in their team is very special. I love to watch them play. They have some spectacular players and a very good manager in Carlo Ancelotti. It was not a perfect domestic season for them, they did not win La Liga, but for their supporters it was a year to remember.”

I have known Schalk and his family for many years and I know that there were very real concerns for his wellbeing during his illness. It really was a great relief for his family, friends and supporters to just see him well again, not even to think at that stage that he would make a miraculous comeback and be back to his best on the rugby pitch. I am sure he will have his eye on making a big impact in the World Cup for the Springboks. Schalk is also a responsible and caring human being who has done a great deal to support the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in South Africa and he has been a wonderful Ambassador for Laureus

The story of Schalk’s recovery is amazing. He not only survived such a serious illness, but in a relatively short time he was back in the Springboks team and winning matches for them. What a great tribute to his fighting spirit. All he needs now to complete this remarkable comeback is to have a wonderful World Cup later this year.

Having seen the Grand Theatre I think we can promise that this is going to be a Laureus Awards to remember, one of the finest. This is the first time the Awards has been held in China, an exciting new development for us, so I am delighted that the Awards Ceremony will take place in such a celebrated and iconic venue.

My fellow Academy Members and I are delighted that the 2015 Laureus Awards will be held in Shanghai, an exhilarating and vibrant city and I would like to thank the HengYuanXiang Group and the Shanghai Government for their support in making this possible. Laureus is much more than an Awards Ceremony. As our first Patron Nelson Mandela said ‘Sport has the power to change the world’ and it can change people’s lives for the better. We will be using the 2015 Awards to send that message from Shanghai around China and the world to show how sport can make a difference to the lives of every one of us. Laureus has been working in Shanghai for many years and now that we are working together I know this will give us the chance to expand our work here significantly.

2015 marks the Chinese Year of Sheep. In Chinese culture, the sheep symbolizes good luck, which is the best greeting for the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards, the first such event in China. The Grand Theatre is a landmark in Shanghai, where all the guests and audience will be impressed by its exquisite beauty. As an international metropolis, Shanghai has been known for its ‘Shanghai Style’ across the world. And this debut of Laureus in China should no doubt take advantage of the geographical strength of Shanghai. “As the Host Partner of the Laureus World Sports Awards, HYX will show our enthusiasm and experience in successfully sponsoring sports events, so that the co-operation between the two parties will be a valuable combination. This is what is called ‘harmony’ in China. We truly believe that this will be the most representative and unforgettable Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony in its history, when all the sports stars and those loving sport will shine in the city together.”

When I was working at FC Porto, I used to live near the APPACDM project. One day I went in to find out what was going on. I was overwhelmed with what I saw and the love and care which the staff gave to the people who needed it so much. “Sometimes these are the people in society who are the ones we need to help most, but Government support is not always enough. I was determined to do what I could to help. “I believe the work I do with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is important and can help to change people’s lives and that has encouraged me to take on more responsibility by becoming Patron of APPACDM and doing what I can to support the programme.

We are so delighted that André has agreed to become our Patron. He has been a great supporter and we look forward to working with him. Our users see him on television and know him. When he comes to the project they are so excited to see him. “We provide a wide range of support for our users and sport plays an important part in this. We use swimming, basketball, football, of course, so I am sure we will be asking Andre to help us with that, and horse riding. For children with intellectual disabilities, the connection they get with a horse is very special. They are gentle creatures and there is a real bonding.

It was a great pleasure to be able to visit the kids at Football United during my visit to Australia. and chat to them about their experiences and see how sport can help them. And for me it was especially interesting to see a Laureus project in action on the ground. The lessons of sport whether it’s football or sailing are the same. It’s all about teamwork and learning to achieve your maximum potential, whether it is in life or in sport. That’s what I told the kids and I hope that they have bright futures.

I am sure I speak on behalf of all the players when I say how impressed we are by the work of Laureus, which is why we are delighted to welcome the kids from Newport here today. We all know what a great sport rugby is. It’s all about working together as a team and helping to increase young people’s self-esteem and their chance to improve their lives. That’s what Laureus does and why we are supporting their work across the world

This is a very special and very important night and I am delighted to be here. My tough racing schedule means I cannot always support Laureus as much I would wish, but I will always do whatever I can to help this important cause. The money that we have raised tonight is vital to help us support Laureus projects in Switzerland which benefit young people.

Sport is not about winning or losing; whoever plays sport always wins. The funds we have raised are essential to allow us to promote social inclusion and personal development of children and adolescents in our four sports projects. These are the real winners tonight.”

I was happy to help in any way I could. The work that Laureus does in Switzerland is excellent.”

his was the perfect example of a Laureus project in action. It was a very successful competition and I was more than happy to be there to congratulate the winners. Sport has the capacity to bring together young people no matter what their backgrounds

It is a privilege for me and also a responsibility to be a part of the Laureus Ambassadors team. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity of giving back everything that sport has given to me, thanks to this organisation that is involved in more than 150 social projects. I feel a great commitment to help get a better world and I will put all my effort into achieving that. It is an honour to be part of the Laureus Family.

I am delighted that Raúl is now a Laureus Ambassador. He was a phenomenon as a player, one of the truly great goalscorers in the history of the game. I played against him many times for my clubs and my country and always found him a very talented, but very fair opponent. In a professional career lasting almost 20 years, he was never sent off. That is an amazing tribute to his sense of fairplay and honour. I look forward to working with him for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation

It is an honour to be able to have Raúl as an Ambassador of the Foundation. He is a legend of our football and a sportsman and person of impeccable credentials. I feel very happy to have Raúl as a member of the Laureus Family.

t’s a great honour to be asked to be a Laureus Ambassador and I was delighted that we were able to get the youngsters along from Laureus projects in Cape Town to meet the crew. Yachting depends on teamwork and harmony among the crew and I was able to explain that to the kids. That’s why sport is a great way of teaching young people life skills. I am really looking forward to taking part in more activities for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.