Athlete of the Year is an award given by various sports organizations for the athlete whom they have determined to be deserving of such recognition.
Definition of "athlete"
In many nations, an "athlete" primarily refers to someone who participates in the various disciplines of athletics (track and field, racewalking, cross country and road running) In other nations — including Canada and the United States — an "athlete" equals "sportsperson" (from any sport).
Similar names for the award The awards have various titles, examples include "Player of the Year" and "Sportspersonality of the Year". In the United States, several states choose a simple "Mr." or "Miss" prefix, such as Mr. Basketball (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, North Dakota, Utah, and Wisconsin). Such awards — general and one-sport-only — are common at the high-school, college (university), and professional levels in the United States.
List of athlete of the year awards
Athletics (track and field) World's Greatest Athlete (decathlon for men, heptathlon for women) World Athlete of the Year (World Athletics formerly known as the IAAF) European Athlete of the Year (European Athletic Association) Track & Field News Athlete of the Year The Bowerman (collegiate track & field's athlete of the year)
All sports Worldwide Awards with deliberate global scope, consistently nominating an international mix of athletes Laureus World Sports Awards TIME Athlete of the Year L'Équipe Champion of Champions—excludes French nationals BBC World Sport Star of the Year—excludes British nationals The Sporting News Athlete of the Year United Press International Athlete of the Year Award Gazzetta Sports Awards Giuseppe Sciacca International Awards Sports Prize United States Sports Academy Athlete of the Year
Continental European Sportsperson of the Year
Regional BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year
Nationwide Awards that focus (either predominantly or exclusively) on sportspersons from the host country
Algeria Best Athletes of the Year
Olimpia Award
AIS Athlete of the Year
Austrian Sportspersonality of the year
Belgian Sportsman of the year
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sportsperson of the Year
Prêmio Brasil Olímpico
Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year
Lou Marsh Trophy (athlete of the year, of either sex) Lionel Conacher Award (male athlete of the year) Bobbie Rosenfeld Award (female athlete of the year) Velma Springstead Trophy (female athlete of the year) Tom Longboat Awards (indigenous athletes)
Sportske novosti awards
Sportsperson of the Year
Danish Sports Name of the Year
Estonian Sportspersonality of the year
Finnish Sports Personality of the Year
L'Équipe Champion of Champions
German Sportspersonality of the Year
PSAT Sports Awards
Hungarian Sportspeople of the Year
Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year
Khel Ratna Award
Iran Sportsperson of the year
RTÉ Sports Person of the Year
Gazzetta Sports Awards Giuseppe Sciacca International Awards Sports Prize
Jamaica Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year
Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize
Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year
Latvian Sportspersonality of the year
Lithuanian Sportsman of the Year
Luxembourgish Sportspeople of the Year
Anugerah Sukan Negara for Sportsman of the Year Anugerah Sukan Negara for Sportswoman of the Year
Moldovan Sportsman of the year
Sportsperson of the Year
Dutch Sportsman of the year
Halberg Awards
Norwegian Sportsperson of the Year
PSA Sportsman of the Year
Polish Sportspersonality of the Year
CDP Awards
Golden badge Sport—athlete of the year
Sportsperson of the Year
Slovenian Sportsman of the year
South African Sportsperson of the Year
Premios Nacionales del Deporte
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal Radiosportens Jerringpris Svenska idrottsgalan
Swiss Sports Personality of the Year
Heroes of Sports Year
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year
The presence of "Sportsman" in the name doesn't imply that the award is open solely to men; women have frequently won these awards. Associated Press Athlete of the Year (AP) Best Female Athlete ESPY Award Best Male Athlete ESPY Award Sporting News Sportsman/Pro Athlete of the Year Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year USOC Athlete of the Year Sportswoman of the Year Award (Women's Sports Foundation) United Press International Athlete of the Year Award (UPI) (defunct) NCAA Woman of the Year Award (student-athlete) Best Female College Athlete ESPY AwardThe Best Female and Best Male College Basketball and Best College Football Player ESPY Awards — awarded from 1993 to 2001 — were absorbed in 2002 by the Best Female and Best Male College Athlete ESPY Awards. Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award Atlantic Coast Conference Athlete of the Year (ACC) Big Ten Athlete of the Year
Vanuatu Sports Awards
Defunct
Czechoslovakia Sportsperson of the Year
Soviet Union top ten athletes of the year
DSL Sport Golden Badge Best Athlete Sportske novosti Athlete of the Year
One sport (other than track and field) International Baseball Federation Senior Athlete of the Year U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year (U.S. Soccer Federation) (association football) Golden Year Award at association football, Neymar last winner Leigh Matthews Trophy (Australian Football League) (Australian rules football) Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player Award (Canadian football) GAA All Stars Awards (Gaelic games) All Stars Footballer of the Year (Gaelic football) All Stars Hurler of the Year (hurling) Ladies' Gaelic football All Stars Awards (Ladies' Gaelic football) Camogie All Stars Awards (camogie) Rounders All Stars Awards (rounders) National Football League Most Valuable Player Award (U.S.) (American football) Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (Japan) MLB Most Valuable Player Award (Major League Baseball) (U.S. & Canada) Players Choice Awards Player of the Year (Major League Baseball) (U.S. & Canada) Sporting News Player of the Year (Major League Baseball) (U.S. & Canada) Sporting News MLB Athlete of the Decade (Major League Baseball) (U.S. & Canada) ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year (Atlantic Coast Conference) (college/university) (U.S.) Baseball America High School Player of the Year Award (U.S.)
See also Rookie of the Year (award)
Footnotes