Kelly Slater with his fourth Laureus Award, equaling
the only other athlete to have won a Laureus Award
four times--Roger Federer.

Kelly Slater may be the King of Surf and 11x World Champion, but outside of the surf world, and action sports for that matter, Kelly has also been recognized for his domination and achievements in the sport. Kelly was awarded his record-tying fourth Laureus Award which are the premier honors in the international sports scene. The winners for the 2012 Laureus world Sports Award were announced in a globally televised Awards Ceremony in London.

Kelly was chosen by an ultimate sports jury, consisting of 47 of the greatest sportsmen and women of all time. Kelly's Laureus Action Sportsperson of the Year marks his fourth award and equaling Roger Federer's record. Joining Kelly was Serbia's Novak Djokovic as Laureus World Sportsman of the Year and Kenya's distance runner Vivian Cheruiyot as Sportswoman of the year. Other notable awards were given to South Africa's Oscar Pistorius, dubbed the "Blade Runner" because of his carbon fiber blades enable his amputated legs to run and becoming the first amputee to win a track medal in the non-disabled World Champions, a silver in the 4x 400m relay.

The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievement during 2011, were announced at the Awards Ceremony at Central Hall, Westminster, which was hosted by Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe winner Clive Owen and attended by guests from the worlds of sport and entertainment. Also present at the Laureus World Sports Awards was pro skater Tony Hawk.

Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports 91 community sports projects in 34 countries around the world, including five in London. Since its inception, Laureus has raised €40 million for projects which have improved the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people.

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

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Vivian Cheruiyot

Laureus World Team of the Year: FC Barcelona

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Rory McIlroy

Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Darren Clarke

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Oscar Pistorius

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Kelly Slater

There were two additional Awards: The Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to England football legend Bobby Charlton, while Raí Souza Vieira de Oliveira, the former Brazilian footballer, now social justice campaigner, won the Laureus Sport for Good Award.