For those that love sport, there is often no greater hero than their favourite sportsperson.

Whether your sport of choice is football, hockey, tennis or athletics, watching someone achieve incredible, almost superhuman things, not only entertains, but inspires. It leaves us marveling at how the impossible can be made possible right before our eyes…

And this is what is celebrated at the Laureus World Sports Awards every year.

But it isn’t enough to say the Awards celebrates achievement alone. This is because it also celebrates the importance of these sportspeople to those they inspire and how positive their achievements can be to both the lives of others and communities around the world.

And in 2011, many of the Nominees did just that.

Take Nominee for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award Novak Djokovic who has become a true role model in his home country.

Novak Djokovic

Reflecting on the remarkable influence Djokovic has had on his country through his achievements, tennis legend Boris Becker has said: “Novak showed throughout his remarkable 2011 how important his home-country is to him, but it’s also the case that he has come to be important to those of his country too. He’s become a source of energy to the Serbian people and has made sure his victories are considered the victories of all Serbs back home as well.

Meanwhile, the breakthroughs for some particular sportspeople this past year have even helped prove that the hardships people face should never have to deny them their dreams.

This has been demonstrated no better than by Nominee for both Breakthrough and Sportsperson with a Disability of the Year Awards Oscar Pistorius.

Oscar Pistorius

Though born with congenital absence of the fibula, necessitating the amputation of both legs at an early age, Oscar raced at the World Athletics Championships in 2011 and even won a medal for his participation in the South Africa 4×400 relay team.

Speaking of Oscar’s achievements in terms of what it meant for the future of Paralympic athletics, Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus Academy, said: ‘ This opens up a whole new era in track and field.’

And demonstrating how important he and his achievements were to other people with disabilities, legendary Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson said: ‘[This] proves that if you have the talent, ability and passion, you can achieve your goals.’

And what’s also been shown in 2011 has been the restorative and uplifting effect sport can have on a country whose people have been forced to face tragedy and loss.

Following the devastating earthquakes that have recently afflicted the country, for example, hosting the Rugby World Cup proved to be a remarkable source of pride and strength for New Zealand, whose national rugby team have been nominated for Team of the Year.

All Blacks

Speaking on this, Sean Fitzpatrick, the legendary All Blacks hooker, said: ‘Nothing can explain just how important it was to New Zealand to host the Rugby World Cup following the terrible earthquakes that struck the Christchurch area in 2011. It truly helped galvanise the people of the Long White Cloud (New Zealand), giving them something to take real pride in. That the All Blacks actually won, was simply the stuff of dreams.’

This is why celebrating greatness at the Awards reflects the ongoing work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in both spirit and effect.

That’s because both truly do champion how sport can be an inspirational and empowering tool in the journey toward a better future, regardless of whether it is at an awards ceremony in London or a young boy’s favourite football pitch in in his home town.

Let us know how sport has changed your life for the better in the box below or on Twitter @LaureusSport.

Though they are not always household names like those in other categories, nominees for the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year are often some of the most exciting athletes in the world.

This year is no different and action sports as diverse as surfing to BMXing are represented in what is a closely run contest.

So, have a look at all six Nominees and be sure to let us know who you think should be crowned the winner.

JAMIE BESTWICK (United Kingdom) BMX

Jamie Bestwick

• Jamie Bestwick’s amazing season started just six months after a terrifying crash that fractured his skull and shattered both eye sockets. Nearly untouchable in the Halfpipe, he has dominated Vert competition for much of the last decade. At the X Games, Bestwick won his fifth straight gold medal and eighth overall in BMX Vert.

PHILIP KÖSTER (Germany) Windsurfing

Philip Koster

• Philip Köster became PWA Wave World Champion in September 2011 at the age of 17. Climbing giant waves and producing colossal jumps, Köster achieved top spot after three wins. With the adrenaline pumping, he wowed the crowds throughout the year with his daredevil performances.

CARISSA MOORE (United States) Surfing

Carissa Moore

• Only 19, Carissa Moore burst onto the women’s competitive surf scene in 2011 with astonishing results. She won the professional tour’s first event, the Roxy Pro on Australia’s Gold Coast, then followed that with two more wins and three seconds to win the World Surfing Championship. In November, she was given a rare invitation to compete with the men at the Van’s Triple Crown.

TRAVIS RICE (United States) Snowboarding

Travis Rice

• Travis Rice has developed into the best all-around snowboarder in the world, equally capable of showing up to win a Slopestyle event in Aspen as he is in pioneering a first descent in the remote Darwin Range on the tip of South America. In 2011, he co-produced and starred in the film The Art of Flight in which he took his staggering aerial tricks, usually reserved for the terrain parks. out into the mountains.

KELLY SLATER (United States) Surfing

Kelly Slater

• At the age of 39, Kelly Slater won a record 11^th World Surfing Championship. Slater, who has won three Laureus World Sports Awards in his career, has dominated men’s surfing for two decades. He became the youngest ever world champion in 1992 at the age of 20 and the oldest at 34 in 2006. And now five years later he is still winning world championships.

SHAUN WHITE (United States) Skateboarding/Snowboarding

Shaun White

• The incomparable Shaun White began the year with yet another gold medal at the Winter X Games, in the men’s Superpipe. It was his fourth straight win in Superpipe, a record in any Winter X Games event, and gave him a remarkable total of 11 gold medals in Winter X. In his summer sport, skateboarding, he won X Games gold in Vert. No matter what season, White nails every trick.

The Laureus World Sports Awards are now less than two weeks away.  You have already been telling us who you think should be the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the year, now its the turn of the year’s best teams to go head-to-head.

2011 was a remarkable year for team sports.  Everything from football and rugby world cups to exciting motor racing and basketball campaigns were held over the 12 month period that truly exemplified the best in team sports.

Below you will find all the top achievements from the Nominees for the Laurues World Team of the Year.

Let us know who you think should be recognised as the very best!

All Blacks (New Zealand) Rugby

All Blacks

• The national rugby team of New Zealand ended 24 years of disappointment when they beat France 8-7 in a tense final in Auckland to win the Rugby World Cup for the second time. Their victory helped to lift the spirits of a nation hit by successive tragedies in the Christchurch Earthquake and the Pike River mine disaster.

FC Barcelona (Spain) Football

FC Barcelona

• Not for the first time the Catalan football team ended the year as the one against which all others are compared. In addition to winning the Spanish League in the 2010/11 season, the highlight of another memorable year was the 3-1 victory against Manchester United in the Champions League final at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Dallas Mavericks (USA) Basketball

Dallas Mavericks

• The team won their first ever NBA title, under coach Rick Carlisle, beating favourites Miami Heat, a team featuring superstars LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. Dirk Nowitzki became the first European-born player to receive the Most Valuable Player Award in the NBA Finals, as the Mavericks beat Miami 4-2 in the best-of-seven series.

England Cricket Team

England Cricket Team

• Became No 1 in the world after a spectacular 4-0 series win against former top team India during the summer. Under captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower, England’s rise to the top has been relentless. Batsman Jonathan Trott was named Cricketer of the Year and Alastair Cook Test Cricketer of the Year at the annual International Cricket Council Awards.

Red Bull (Austria) Motor Racing

The Red Bull team

• Won the Formula One World Constructors Championship for the second straight year in 2011. They also won the individual drivers’ title through Sebastian Vettel. Their second driver Mark Webber finished third. Although the team is based in the United Kingdom, it is registered in Austria and is the first Austrian team to win the title.

Japan Women’s Football Team

Japan Women's Football Team

• The Japan team stunned defending champions Germany with a 1-0 victory in the quarter-finals and beat the United States in a penalty shootout in the final. Coach Norio Sasaki had motivated his team by showing them film of the areas devastated by March’s earthquake and subsequent tsunami which inspired them to produce extraordinary results.

Celebrating both the achievements of exciting new talent, but also standout new heights reached by sportspeople already familiar to many, the Laureus Breakthrough Award really is one of the most exciting categories of them all come Awards night.

This year’s Nominees cover both of these types and include new faces going up against sportspeople who truly have outdone their past achievements during 2011.

Open to both sportsmen and sportswomen, just like the Comeback category, the Breakthrough Award always proves to be a closely run race.

So, once you have had a look at all their achievements from 2011, be sure to let us know who of the Nominees you think measures up to be sport’s Breakthrough of the Year.

YOHAN BLAKE

Yohan Blake

• World Athletics Championships, Daegu: Gold (100 metres)
• World Athletics Championships, Daegu: Gold (4x100m)

MO FARAH

Mo Farah

• European Indoor Athletics Championships: Gold (3000m)
• World Athletics Championships, Daegu: Gold (5,000m)
• World Athletics Championships, Daegu: Silver (10,000)

PETRA KVITOVA

Petra Kvitova

• Won first Grand Slam at Wimbledon
• Won WTA Championship in Istanbul

RORY McILROY

Rory McIlroy

• First Major win at US Open
• Won with record score of 16-under

LI NA

Li Na

• First Grand Slam win at French Open
• Reached Australian Open final
• Both achievements firsts for a Chinese player

OSCAR PISTORIUS

Oscar Pistorius

• First amputee athlete to win non-disabled track medal – World Athletics Championships, Daegu: Silver (4x400m relay)
• Reached semi-final of individual 400m at Daegu

The first of the Laureus blog’s posts on this year’s Laureus Awards Nominees was all about the Sportsman of the Year, and the response from you all was incredible. It even looks as though a favourite among you is emerging.

Next up however is the Sportswoman of the Year category, which might even be a closer run match than any other.

Once again, you can find all of the Nominees’ achievements and stats side by side for you to decide who you think has hit the most impressive heights over the past year.

VIVIAN CHERUIYOT

Cheruiyot

• Daegu World Athletics Championships: Gold (5,000 metres)
• Daegu World Athletics Championships: Gold (10,000 metres)
• Won 2011 World Cross-Country Championship in Spain

MARIA HOFL-RIESCH

Hofl-Riesch

• Alpine Skiing World Cup winner
• Won seven individual events on way to Overall World Cup win

CARMELITA JETER

Jeter

• Daegu World Athletics Championships: Gold (100 metres)
• Daegu World Athletics Championships: Gold (4 x 100 metres)
• Daegu World Athletics Championships: Silver(200 metres)

PETRA KVITOVA

Kvitova

• Won first Grand Slam at Wimbledon
• Won WTA Championship in Istanbul

HOMARE SAWA

Sawa

• World Cup winning captain of Japan women’s football team
• Won Golden Boot at World Cup with five goals
• Won Golden Ball at World Cup
• FIFA Women’s player of the Year

YANI TSENG

Tseng

• 12 tournament wins
• Two Major wins
• Number one LPGA tour prize-winnings: $2,921,713

So, who do you think  has achieved the most from the world of women’s sport from the past year?

Let us know in the box below or on twitter @LaureusSport