SPORTING legends the calibre of Mark Spitz and Boris Becker will come under fire when they meet in Monte Carlo for tomorrow's Laureus World Sports Awards over the failure of Lleyton Hewitt and the Australian cricket team to win a nomination.
The prestigious awards and the Laureus academy, made up of 44 international sporting stars who vote for the award winners, have been criticised for showing an apparent anti-Australian bias this year after Cathy Freeman, Waugh's men and Louise Sauvage cleaned up in previous years.
Hewitt took the snub on the chin, saying: "There's nothing I can do about it. I'm not going to lose any sleep about it."
Waugh, however, was miffed his team were not nominated for the world team award after winning the solid silver statuette crafted by Cartier last year.
"Maybe it's the sort of award that gets spread around a bit," Waugh said. "Whatever the reason, it was a great honour last year but I guess it is a little bit disappointing for the side."
Waugh's disquiet was echoed by Laureus academy member Ian Botham. "I don't understand why they weren't nominated," Botham said. "As far as I'm concerned they are the best cricket team there's ever been."
Fellow academy member Sebastian Coe was surprised by the omissions of Hewitt and the Australian cricketers. But after their absence from the short-lists was discussed when the academy met in Shanghai last month, Coe changed his view on Hewitt.
"The explanation from people like Boris Becker was that it (Hewitt's omission) was the right decision," Coe said. "To make that top five you have to be unquestionably the best by a distance and it was genuinely felt that for Hewitt, it was not a definitive year."
The nomination period for performances is between February 1, 2002 and February 28, 2003.
Coe dismissed suggestions Hewitt's antagonistic nature had weighed against him. However, academy member Ilie Nastase indicated that Hewitt's in-your-face image might have been a factor.
Coe denied the academy was guilty of being anti-Australian. "You guys have cleaned up, it is not that we are overlooking Australia. There is not a bias."
The academy represents the world sporting landscape, but it is dominated by northern hemisphere identities including Jack Nicklaus, Michael Jordan, Michael Johnson, Martina Navratilova, Spitz, Katarina Witt and chairman Ed Moses.
Dawn Fraser, the sole Australian member of the Laureus academy, which selects the winners from short-lists of five, said she would take the academy to task for the embarrassing omissions.
"I was disappointed Lleyton Hewitt was not in the last five," Fraser said. "I don't know why but I'll be bringing it up. It is a hell of a big miss.
"Because we (Australia) are so far away, I think our sportsmen and women get left out and I will be bringing that up. We get overlooked. It is tough being in there by yourself but I have allies in (fellow members) Nadia Comaneci and Bobby Charlton."
Australia's sole nomination who will be sitting in the grand Grimaldi Forum among the sporting elite tomorrow night will be four-time 2002 winter Paralympic champion alpine skier Michael Milton, who has made the short-list in the disability category.
According to Fraser, Milton is the favourite, and he's given himself every chance of winning by being at the ceremony tomorrow.
Fraser admitted Ian Thorpe had been in line to win the best sportsman last year but his failure to attend the awards resulted in Michael Schumacher accepting the award instead.
"I know Ian was going to win it but he said he couldn't go," Fraser said. "It makes it very difficult. Milton should win, he'd got my vote."
Nominations.
Sportsman of the Year: L Armstrong (US) - cycling, O Einar Bjoerndalen (Nor) - biathlon, Ronaldo (Bra) - football, M Schumacher (Ger) - formula one, T Woods (US) - golf.
Sportswoman of the year: M Jones (US) - athletics, J Kostelic (Cro) - alpine skiing, P Radcliffe (Gbr) - athletics, A Sorenstam (Swe) - golf, S Williams (US) - tennis.
Team of the year: Brazil's National Football Team, Canadian National Ice Hockey team, European Ryder Cup Team, Ferrari's Formula One Team, Real Madrid Football Team.
Newcomer of the year: D Hantuchova (Svk) - tennis, Y Ming (Chn) - basketball, D Nalbandian (Arg) - tennis, W Rooney (UK) - football, J Uytdehaage (Ned) - speedskating.
Comeback of the year: J Kostelic (Cro) - alpine skiing, H Maier (Aut) - alpine skiing, Ronaldo (Bra) - football, P Sampras (US) - tennis, F van Almsick (Ger) - swimming.
Sportsperson of the year with a disability: T Kari (Fin) - nordic skiing, M Milton (Aus) - alpine skiing, C Petitclerc (Can) - athletics, P Schulte (US) - wheelchair basketball, M Teuber (Ger) - cycling.
Alternative sportsperson of the year: A Chausson (Fra) - mountain biking, K Clark (US) - snowboarding, P Gagnon (Can) - skateboarding, D Potter (US) - speed climbing, M Strel (Slo) - ultramarathon swimming.
2002 WINNERS.
M Schumacher Sportsman Of The Year, J Capriati Sportswoman Of The Year, Australian Cricket Team Team Of The Year, J Pablo Montoya Newcomer Of The Year, G Ivanisevic Comeback Of The Year, E Vergeer Sportsperson With A Disability, B Burnquist Alternative Sportsperson Of The Year, Sir Peter Blake Lifetime Achievement Award 2001.
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6457609%255E23218,00.html
The prestigious awards and the Laureus academy, made up of 44 international sporting stars who vote for the award winners, have been criticised for showing an apparent anti-Australian bias this year after Cathy Freeman, Waugh's men and Louise Sauvage cleaned up in previous years.
Hewitt took the snub on the chin, saying: "There's nothing I can do about it. I'm not going to lose any sleep about it."
Waugh, however, was miffed his team were not nominated for the world team award after winning the solid silver statuette crafted by Cartier last year.
"Maybe it's the sort of award that gets spread around a bit," Waugh said. "Whatever the reason, it was a great honour last year but I guess it is a little bit disappointing for the side."
Waugh's disquiet was echoed by Laureus academy member Ian Botham. "I don't understand why they weren't nominated," Botham said. "As far as I'm concerned they are the best cricket team there's ever been."
Fellow academy member Sebastian Coe was surprised by the omissions of Hewitt and the Australian cricketers. But after their absence from the short-lists was discussed when the academy met in Shanghai last month, Coe changed his view on Hewitt.
"The explanation from people like Boris Becker was that it (Hewitt's omission) was the right decision," Coe said. "To make that top five you have to be unquestionably the best by a distance and it was genuinely felt that for Hewitt, it was not a definitive year."
The nomination period for performances is between February 1, 2002 and February 28, 2003.
Coe dismissed suggestions Hewitt's antagonistic nature had weighed against him. However, academy member Ilie Nastase indicated that Hewitt's in-your-face image might have been a factor.
Coe denied the academy was guilty of being anti-Australian. "You guys have cleaned up, it is not that we are overlooking Australia. There is not a bias."
The academy represents the world sporting landscape, but it is dominated by northern hemisphere identities including Jack Nicklaus, Michael Jordan, Michael Johnson, Martina Navratilova, Spitz, Katarina Witt and chairman Ed Moses.
Dawn Fraser, the sole Australian member of the Laureus academy, which selects the winners from short-lists of five, said she would take the academy to task for the embarrassing omissions.
"I was disappointed Lleyton Hewitt was not in the last five," Fraser said. "I don't know why but I'll be bringing it up. It is a hell of a big miss.
"Because we (Australia) are so far away, I think our sportsmen and women get left out and I will be bringing that up. We get overlooked. It is tough being in there by yourself but I have allies in (fellow members) Nadia Comaneci and Bobby Charlton."
Australia's sole nomination who will be sitting in the grand Grimaldi Forum among the sporting elite tomorrow night will be four-time 2002 winter Paralympic champion alpine skier Michael Milton, who has made the short-list in the disability category.
According to Fraser, Milton is the favourite, and he's given himself every chance of winning by being at the ceremony tomorrow.
Fraser admitted Ian Thorpe had been in line to win the best sportsman last year but his failure to attend the awards resulted in Michael Schumacher accepting the award instead.
"I know Ian was going to win it but he said he couldn't go," Fraser said. "It makes it very difficult. Milton should win, he'd got my vote."
Nominations.
Sportsman of the Year: L Armstrong (US) - cycling, O Einar Bjoerndalen (Nor) - biathlon, Ronaldo (Bra) - football, M Schumacher (Ger) - formula one, T Woods (US) - golf.
Sportswoman of the year: M Jones (US) - athletics, J Kostelic (Cro) - alpine skiing, P Radcliffe (Gbr) - athletics, A Sorenstam (Swe) - golf, S Williams (US) - tennis.
Team of the year: Brazil's National Football Team, Canadian National Ice Hockey team, European Ryder Cup Team, Ferrari's Formula One Team, Real Madrid Football Team.
Newcomer of the year: D Hantuchova (Svk) - tennis, Y Ming (Chn) - basketball, D Nalbandian (Arg) - tennis, W Rooney (UK) - football, J Uytdehaage (Ned) - speedskating.
Comeback of the year: J Kostelic (Cro) - alpine skiing, H Maier (Aut) - alpine skiing, Ronaldo (Bra) - football, P Sampras (US) - tennis, F van Almsick (Ger) - swimming.
Sportsperson of the year with a disability: T Kari (Fin) - nordic skiing, M Milton (Aus) - alpine skiing, C Petitclerc (Can) - athletics, P Schulte (US) - wheelchair basketball, M Teuber (Ger) - cycling.
Alternative sportsperson of the year: A Chausson (Fra) - mountain biking, K Clark (US) - snowboarding, P Gagnon (Can) - skateboarding, D Potter (US) - speed climbing, M Strel (Slo) - ultramarathon swimming.
2002 WINNERS.
M Schumacher Sportsman Of The Year, J Capriati Sportswoman Of The Year, Australian Cricket Team Team Of The Year, J Pablo Montoya Newcomer Of The Year, G Ivanisevic Comeback Of The Year, E Vergeer Sportsperson With A Disability, B Burnquist Alternative Sportsperson Of The Year, Sir Peter Blake Lifetime Achievement Award 2001.
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6457609%255E23218,00.html
