The Fiji 7s team has been nominated for the World Breakthrough of the Year award for the 2017 Laureus World Sports Awards.
They have been nominated alongside current English Premier League champions Leicester City, Iceland Euro 2016 soccer team, South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk who is the current world record holder, world champion and Olympic champion in the 400 metres.
The Fiji 7s team is currently the reigning World Rugby Sevens Series Champions in World Rugby.
They also won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil which is the country's first Olympic Gold medal.
The Laureus World Sports Awards is an annual award ceremony honoring remarkable individuals from the world of sports along with the greatest sporting achievements throughout the year.
The eventual winners as voted for by members of the Laureus World Sports Academy will be revealed in Monaco on the 14th of February.
In order to find the winners of the Awards, the Laureus Nominations Panel is composed of professional sports editors, writers and broadcasters vote to create a shortlist of six nominations in five categories:
THE NOMINEES FOR THE 2017 LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS
ACTION SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR NOMINEES: Tyler Wright (Australia, surfing), John John Florence (USA, surfing), Chloe Kim (USA, snowboarding), Pedro Barros (Brazil, skateboarding), Rachel Atherton (Great Britain, mountain biking) and Kelly Sildaru (Estonia, freestyle skiing).
WORLD SPORTSWOMAN ON THE YEAR: Simone Biles (USA, gymnastics), Katie Ledecky (USA, swimming), Allyson Felix (USA, athletics), Angelique Kerber (Germany, tennis), Elaine Thompson (Jamaica, athletics) and Laura Kenny (Great Britain, cycling).
WORLD SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR: Usain Bolt (Jamaica, athletics), Mo Farah (Great Britain, athletics), Andy Murray (Great Britain, tennis), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, soccer), Stephen Curry (USA, basketball) and LeBron James (USA, basketball).
WORLD COMEBACK OF THE YEAR: Michael Phelps (USA, swimming), Ruth Beitia (Spain, high jump), Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina, tennis), Nick Skelton (Great Britain, equestrian), Fabienne St Louis (Mauritius, triathlon) and Aksel Lund Svindal (Norway, skiing).
WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team, Portugal Euro 2016 soccer team, Real Madrid Champions League soccer team, Brazil Olympic Games soccer team, Chicago Cubs baseball team and Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.
WORLD BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR: Nico Rosberg (Germany, Formula One), Almaz Ayana (Ethiopia, athletics), Wade van Niekerk (South Africa, athletics), Leicester City English Premier League soccer team, Iceland Euro 2016 soccer team and Fiji Olympic Games rugby sevens team.
WORLD SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR WITH A DISABILITY: Ihar Boki (Belarus, swimming), Sophie Pascoe (New Zealand, swimming), Omara Durand (Cuba, athletics), Siamand Rahman (Iran, weightlifting), Marcel Hug (Switzerland, wheelchair racing) and Beatrice Vio (Italy, fencing).
