Chapter 487: Laureus World Sports Awards

Chapter 487: The Laureus Awards

The China Top Ten Laureus Champion Awards, a collaboration between the "Laureus World Sports Awards," known as the "Oscars of Sports," and the "China Sports Top Ten Athletes Selection," hold an esteemed position in Chinese sports, representing the highest honor for outstanding athletes and coaches.

The selection comprises ten award categories, and Meng Fan received an unusually high number of nominations, becoming a candidate for Best Male Athlete, Best Breakthrough, Best Newcomer, Most Popular, and Best Coach.

He was also nominated for Best Coach, despite not being a formal coach—merely holding the title of technical and tactical coach for the wrestling and judo teams—yet no one could deny his contributions to their tactical arrangements and strategies during the Olympics.

Additionally, he was part of the Chinese Judo Team's nomination for Best Team.

In total, out of ten categories, he alone was nominated for six—an unprecedented feat!

Furthermore, Meng Fan's three coaches—Dean Zhan, Hu Cunyong, and Xiao Yunlin—were also nominated for Best Coach.

In recent years, the China Top Ten Laureus Champion Awards ceremony has typically been held before New Year's Day; this year, it was scheduled for December 15th in the capital.

Although the ceremony was still over a month away, the nomination news sparked a wave of trending topics online, primarily because Meng Fan's six nominations were unprecedented.

Generally, even the most elite athletes—those who reach the pinnacle of world sports upon debut—receive at most five nominations, one of which must include Best Team or Best Pair, along with Best Newcomer, Best Male/Female Athlete, Most Popular, and Best Breakthrough. That was considered the top configuration.

Even that was ideal; so far, no Chinese athlete had ever been nominated for five categories.

But Meng Fan was different—not only did he receive all five individual nominations, but he also added Best Coach, a category where an athlete had never before appeared.

This was truly groundbreaking.

Not only were others surprised, but even Zhan, Hu, and Xiao—also nominated for Best Coach—never imagined they would compete with their own student for the coaching award, especially while that student was still an active athlete!

Moreover, someone even nominated Meng Fan for Best Non-Olympic Athlete, because he had participated in a shooting machine competition and shattered the world record with a staggering score of 886 points.

If not for the fact that the shooting machine competition was too niche and lacked truly world-class—or even continental-level—events, Meng Fan would likely have secured a nomination for Best Non-Olympic Athlete!

As news of Meng Fan's six nominations spread, the selection panel—composed of journalists from 75 countries—began nominating candidates for the Laureus World Sports Awards. Each panel member submitted five individuals or teams per category, after which an independent body tallied the votes to determine the five finalists for each award.

Once the finalists were set, the Laureus Sports Academy selected the winners.

The Laureus Sports Academy operates on a membership basis, with each member being a sports elite who has made outstanding contributions to world sports—each one among the greatest and most legendary athletes of our time. As of February 24, 0202, the date of the most recent Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony, the Academy had only 70 members!

New members are inducted before each year's ceremony; in 2019, three were added, and in 2020, only two. China had five legendary athletes as members: Deng Yaping, Li Xiaopeng, Yang Yang, Yao Ming, and Li Na.

Meng Fan was the most outstanding athlete of 0202, without a doubt, and his name naturally appeared on the lists submitted by journalists from various countries. His inclusion as a finalist was a foregone conclusion, and many believed his chances of winning were high. The only question now was how many categories he would be nominated for and how many he would ultimately win.

To date, China has won a total of six Laureus awards: Best Newcomer twice (Yao Ming and Liu Xiang), Best Team once (the Chinese Olympic delegation at the Beijing Olympics), a Special Achievement Award once (Li Na), the Spirit of Sport Award once (Yao Ming), and the Best Sporting Moment once (Xia Boyu, a mountaineer who summited Everest with prosthetic legs).

However, China has never won the most prestigious awards—Best Male/Female Athlete—nor the Best Comeback or Best Breakthrough awards.

After this year's Olympics, many Chinese who followed the awards were eagerly anticipating Meng Fan's potential to claim the highest honor. He was the most likely Chinese athlete in recent years to win such an award, given his achievement of winning Olympic gold across three major sports and five sub-disciplines—a feat of considerable weight.

Of course, it was still early; the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony is held every February, and the nominations won't be announced until after the New Year.

But with the release of the China Top Ten Laureus Champion Awards list, many inevitably thought of the "Oscars of Sports" and hoped Meng Fan would win.

Then came November 10th. Netizens didn't get any Laureus news about Meng Fan; instead, they learned of his first commercial appearance since winning Olympic gold—participating in Alibaba's Double Eleven Gala.

Last year, Meng Fan had appeared live on the Double Eleven Gala as a sand painting performer, accompanying Su Qingcen. His performance was stunning, earning him many fans, and his "super-long shot" added to his reputation as a "concert killer." That was his first time on television and his first widespread exposure.

In comparison, the changes over the past year were indeed significant.

This time, Meng Fan was certainly invited by the organizers and could be considered one of the biggest stars at the live event. His performance this time wasn't sand painting but singing, and the songs were all related to "Underground Spirits"—the only condition he set for attending the gala.

Yes, "all."

Meng Fan didn't just sing one song; he sang three, one of which was a duet with Shi Shiwu, performing the opening theme of "Underground Spirits," whose original singer and lyricist-composer was Shi Shiwu.

Meng Fan had experienced the power of the Double Eleven live gala last year; it was a great way to promote, and he also got paid—a win-win.

"Our performance ends around 11-something. After that, are you coming to the celebration party or joining me for some gaming?"

Around seven o'clock, as Meng Fan was being fussed over by the costume and makeup team backstage, he also had to endure Shi Shiwu's "curse."

These days, the two had grown quite close. Shi Shiwu often recorded shows in Hangzhou and helped Meng Fan with his songs, and afterward, he would inevitably pester Meng Fan to game together. Ever since Meng Fan demonstrated his gaming skills (with his unmatched hand speed), Shi Shiwu had been constantly thinking about dragging him to an internet café for an all-night gaming session.

(End of chapter)