Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony in Brazil cancelled

Laureus Academy Member Boris Becker presents the award for ‘Laureus World Sportsman of the Year’ during the awards show for the 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards at the Theatro Municipal Do Rio de Janeiro on March 11, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony, which was set to be held in Rio de Janeiro for the second straight year in March, has been cancelled. This news comes as another setback for Brazil as it struggles to get ready for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony is held annually, to celebrate the most remarkable men and women from the world of sport and their achievements from the previous calendar year.

In an official statement, Laureus said: “Laureus and the state of Rio de Janeiro have agreed that the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards will not be staged in Rio. Laureus will announce its plans for this year’s awards shortly.”

“After a successful 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards in Rio, Laureus remains committed to supporting sports-based charities projects to help disadvantaged young people in Rio and Brazil, something which we have been doing for more than a decade,” a spokeswoman told AFP.

It is being speculated that with the FIFA World Cup 2014 and Olympics 2016 just around the corner, the Rio state authorities were unwilling to bear the bill, estimated to be around $12 million, for holding the event in Brazil.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has already raised his concerns on Brazil’s preparation for the FIFA World Cup which is just five months away.

“No country has been so far behind in preparations since I have been at FIFA,” Blatter was quoted as saying by a Swiss newspaper.

Despite the disruption, ticket sales for the World Cup have been reported as “exceptional”, along with sales of hospitality packages.