Siya Kolisi and Springboks Lose Out on Top Awards at the 2024 Laureus Sports Awards
- The Springbooks and Siya Kolisi lost out at the 2024 Laureus Sports Awards after they were nominated in the Team of the Year and Comeback of the Year categories
- Spain’s women's football team walked away with the Team of the Year Award, while US gymnast Simone Biles beat the Bok skipper
- Local sports fans say the Boks should have won their awards and the organisers have favourites
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The Springboks failed to add the 2024 Laureus Team of the Year Award to their growing list of accolades while Bok skipper Siya Kolisi was beaten for the Comeback of the Year Award.
Kolisi, included in the TIME100: The Most Influential People of 2024, lost out to US gymnast Simone Biles while Spain's women's football team won the Laureus Team Award.
Mzansi's stars not honoured by Laureus Sports Awards
Watch the highlights of the 2024 Laureus Sports Awards in the video below:
The Boks won the Laureus Award in 2020, but they were not acknowledged in 2024 despite coach Rassie Erasmus using the tactic of playing the French national anthem to motivate his squad.
Tennis star Novak Djokovic won the Sportsman of the Year while female Spanish footballer Aitana Bonmatí scooped the Sportswoman of the Year.
Fans angered by Laureus Sports Awards snub
After Kolisi and the Boks lost out at the annual sports awards, local fans took to social media to voice their disapproval.
Sharon Da Gama says the Mzansi stars never stood a chance:
"Why were they even nominated? These awards are only for Europe and the USA!"
Jar Nev said the Boks should have won:
"Springboks are way ahead of any other team."
Murray Tocker says you can't win it all:
"To be fair, we took home the 4 top awards in 2019."
Lorraine Hartman is amazed:
"Surely our Boks / Siya should’ve won? To win something 5 times means that no one else has done anything great in the last 4 years,but as South Africans we know who our winners are. Still Proudly South African."
Tessa Horan is upset:
"Blatant favouritism. When politics enters sport, it is toxic."
Esmeralda Moore says the world is jealous of the Boks:
"The world is extremely envious and can never accept that South African Bokke are brilliant."
Leonardo Joseph still applauds Mzansi's stars:
"We know what we accomplished in comparison."
Shawn Miller questions how the winners are chosen:
"Those awards are agenda-motivated. Boks are the reigning Rugby World Cup Champions. That's enough."
Linda van den Berg kept it short:
"Sour grapes!"
Bok Eben Etzebeth calls coach Rassie Erasmus a problem-solver
During an interview with Briefly News, Bok enforcer Eben Etzebeth said Rassie Erasmus has a unique ability to identify a problem early on.
The world champion said Erasmus is a special coach who can see issues in the squad before they can cause any damage.
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Source: Briefly News
