The 2024 Sportel Awards Ceremony in Monaco celebrated the achievements of athletes and honoured remarkable contributions to the sporting world, featuring a lineup of award winners across various categories.
Monaco Life was there for the 2024 Sportel Awards Ceremony, held on 28th October at the Grimaldi Forum. The event showcased the achievements of athletes across various sports disciplines and served as a platform to honour contributions to the sporting world.
The ceremony began with a parade of champions on a purple carpet, reminiscent of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games athletics track. Hosted by former decathlete and rugby player Marc Maury, the event brought together a mix of established athletes and emerging talents.
“This ceremony honours images and stories that illustrate the finest values of sport,” said Laurent Puons, Managing Director of Sportel. “Our champions are examples of courage, perseverance, and excellence that the Sportel Awards is proud to celebrate.”
The focus of the evening was the ‘Golden Podiums’, which recognised the year’s best sports sequences. The awards were presented by a jury led by Laura Flessel-Colovic, a French fencer and former Minister of Sports, and by Louis Ducruet, a member of the Monaco princely family and President of the Barbagiuans de Monaco, a sports club known for its football team.
The jury included prominent figures such as photographer and dancer Mathieu Forget; wheelchair tennis champion Pauline Déroulède; investigative journalist Stéphane Le Goff; Céline Jobert, founder and president of Lafourmi; handball world champion Jackson Richardson, representing FNOSC; and Florent Piétrus, a multi-medalist in basketball and a Peace Champion for Peace and Sport.
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Another key moment during the ceremony was Nicolas Fleury, a high-level bike trial athlete, captivating the audience with an acrobatic performance on his bicycle.
2024 winners
The 2024 ‘Golden Podiums’ celebrated various individuals and publications for their contributions to sports. As Marine Picoulet, Head Manager of Sportel Awards, said, “Tonight, we celebrated champions from all backgrounds, whose journeys are a tribute to the spirit of sport.”
In the print section, Dominique Rocheteau received the Autobiography Prize for his book ‘Foot Sentimental’, which reflects his experiences as a prominent figure in French football and a Euro 1984 winner. The Sports Book Prize recognised ‘The Last Heroes: 100 Moments of Olympics Legend’, published by Assouline.
Moving on to the screen, the Best Slow Motion award was given to ‘MotoGP in Slow Motion’, produced by Dorna Sports, with the prize sponsored by the Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français. The Best Biopic award went to ‘Marie-Jo’, directed by Marc Sauvourel and broadcast on Canal+ in France.
In the documentary genre, The Best Docu-Series, sponsored by Les Barbagiuans de Monaco, was awarded to ‘Handball, une histoire de familles’, created by Clément Brin of Nolita TV. The Peace and Sport Documentary Prize was also awarded to ‘Espoirs’, produced by Sacha Chelli, Nicolas Jambou, and Jean Verdon of Manana Films. Additionally, the Best Thematic Documentary award went to ‘A corps perdus – Aiming For Glory’, created by Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai from France TV studio, with the support of France Télévisions.
The Best Advertising award was presented to ‘Arise Athletes of the Fatherland! Olympics 2024’, produced by Eric Rinaldi, Jean-Pierre Gavini, Pierre Dieulafait, and Loren Denis of France Télévisions, supported by AS Monaco Basket-Roca Team. In the Best Report category, the award was presented to ‘What is the impossible? Derek: Blind giant wave surfer’, produced by Gustavo Machado of TV Globo from Brazil.
The last two prizes were presented by Louis Ducruet. Ducruet awarded the Jury Special Prize to ‘Andrea’, directed by Maxime Moulin of Clustr Film and the Lifetime Sport Achievement Award to Nikola Karabatic, a celebrated handball figure and three-time Olympic champion.
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Photos by Monaco Life.