Laureus World Sports Awards: Actor Benedict Cumberbatch will host glittering ceremony in Monaco

Hollywood star Benedict Cumberbatch will host the 2018 Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco on 27 February.

The 2018 Awards in Monaco will be the third time Cumberbatch hosts the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards, having previously hosted the 2014 Awards in Kuala Lumpur and the 2015 Ceremony in Shanghai.

The actor has appeared in a series of highly popular film and TV dramas in recent years, including his famous role as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock, playing Alan Turing in The Imitation Game as well as a role in Academy Award-winning 12 Years a Slave. Cumberbatch is also acclaimed for his performance as Julian Assange in the Wikileaks movie The Fifth Estate and as the Dragon Smaug, in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

“As an actor, I am asked to play a variety of characters, from a legendary detective, a master of the mystic arts or an enigma code-breaking genius. None of those characters though have helped me discover who the winners will be at this year’s Laureus Awards. All of the nominations are fantastic and, along with a stunning Monaco location, home of the Formula One Grand Prix, I know it’s going to be a very special night,” Cumberbatch said.

The 2018 Laureus World Sports Awards will celebrate sporting success and achievements over the past calendar year, while also recognising the true value sport can have in uniting communities and acting as a positive force for change.

For more information and to stay updated in the build-up to the 2018 Laureus World Sports Awards, visit awards.laureus.com and follow #Laureus18 on social media platforms.

There will be eight awards on offer at the glittering awards ceremony. While Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal, Mo Farah, Chris Froome and Lewis Hamilton are in the hunt for World Sportsman of the Year Award , Serena Williams, Caster Semenya and Katie Ledecky are among those nominated for the  World Sportswoman of the Year Award .

Meanwhile, star-studded teams like Golden State Warriors and Real Madrid will go head to head for the World Team of the Year Award  while  Kylian Mbappe, Jelena Ostapenko are in the hunt for World Breakthrough of the Year Award .

Other categories include  World Comeback of the Year Award ,  World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award , World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award and the  Best Sporting Moment of the Year Award .