Last week Laureus, one of the leaders in the world of sports and social change, held its Annual Awards Ceremony in Abu Dhabi. Attended by global sporting and entertainment celebrities, industry leaders, and a host of others, great performances on and off the field of play were recognized.

The Awards were announced in seven categories. The winners were:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Usain Bolt

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Serena Williams

Laureus World Team of the Year: Brawn GP Formula One

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Jenson Button

Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Kim Clijsters

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Natalie du Toit

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Stephanie Gilmore

There were two additional Awards: The Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to athletics legend Nawal El Moutawakel, while American basketball star Dikembe Mutombo won the Laureus Sport for Good Award for his charitable work in the Congo.

For full biographies of the winners go to http://www.laureus.com/awards/2010/winners.

The full press release can be found by clicking here.

About Laureus:  Laureus comprises the Laureus World Sports Academy, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and the Laureus World Sports Awards. To learn more about the organization, please click here.