South African swimmer Natalie du Toit has made the short list for the Laureus Sporting Moment 2000 – 2020
South African swimmer Natalie du Toit has made the short list for the Laureus Sporting Moment 2000 – 2020. We need to get the South African public to support her by voting at: laureus.com/vote
Laureus launches the Laureus Sporting Moment 2000 – 2020 public vote, which gives sports fans the power to choose one of the winners of the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards. In Berlin on February 17, the 20th anniversary Laureus World Sports Awards will honour the greatest sporting triumphs of 2019, celebrate the power of sport in transforming the lives of young people around the world and, through this campaign, award the greatest Laureus Sporting Moment of the last 20 years.
The Laureus Sporting Moment Award celebrates the moments where sport has unified people in the most extraordinary way. This campaign shortlists 20 sporting stories from the last 20 years that have left their mark on the world. Shining a light on those unforgettable moments that have changed sporting history and inspired fans and followers around the globe. A collection of the world’s greatest sporting moments from the new millennium exemplifying sporting values such as fair play, sportsmanship, humanity, overcoming adversity, dedication and the power to unite through sport – all key values of the Laureus movement.
The Laureus Sporting Moment 2000 – 2020 public vote will celebrate the transformational power of sport and reinforce Laureus’ 20th-anniversary message that ‘Sport Unites Us’. It was at the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000 that Laureus Patron, Nelson Mandela, spoke the words which sparked the creation of the worldwide Sport for Good movement:
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where there once was only despair.”
It is in line with this powerful founding belief by which the moments have been selected, and now sports fans around the world have the chance to participate and vote for their favourite of the 20 shortlisted moments at laureus.com/vote.
With three knock-out rounds, the top-20 moments will be whittled down to ten then five, with the top-five moments going head-to-head, with one moment ultimately crowned the winner of Laureus Sporting Moment 2000-2020. As the only award voted for by the public, it’s over to you to decide who will take the coveted top spot as our Laureus Sporting Moment 2000-2020.
ABILITY OF THE MIND (2002) - Natalie du Toit, Swimming
After 17-year old Natalie du Toit was involved in a traffic accident, she had her leg amputated at the knee. Three months later, she returned to swimming and a year later, she made history. At the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, she qualified to swim in the 800-meter freestyle final - the first time that an amputee qualified to compete in the finals of a major international swimming competition.
Du Toit joined Breakfast with Martin Bester to talk about her life after swimming and the nomination.