Fans of international sports have plenty to celebrate tonight as
the seventh edition of Fox Pan American Sports LLC’s Premios Fox
Sports™, held this evening at Hard Rock Live at the
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida,
honored the contributions and accomplishments of US Hispanic and
Latin American athletes and personalities from the world of sports,
both on and off the field.
Hosted by Fox Sports on-air personalities Tania Rincón (Lo Mejor
de Fox Sports) and German Paoloski (Futbol Para Todos), the
star-studded Premios Fox Sports was telecast live to more
than 26 million households in the United States and Latin America
and brought together the very best in Latino sports and
entertainment.
Ranked fifth in the South African Airways ATP world rankings,
2009 U.S. Open Champion Juan Martín del Potro from Argentina was
the evening’s biggest winner. Twenty one year-old del Potro, the
youngest player among the top 20 players in the world, was named
“Best Tennis Player” and “Athlete of the Year.”
“Premios Fox Sports once again has proven to be the year’s hot
ticket,” said Patrick Ilabaca, vice president of event marketing
for Fox Pan American Sports LLC. “Thanks to the support of our
sponsors, advertisers, partners and our friends from throughout the
Fox family, this year’s awards show was our biggest to date. Fox
Pan American Sports congratulates this year’s distinguished winners
and honorees, and sends a special thank you to the many athletes,
entertainers and personalities that helped make the seventh edition
of Premios Fox Sports an overwhelming success.”
Following are the official 2009 Premios Fox Sports award
categories and winners:
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AND BEST
TENNIS PLAYERJuan Martín del Potro (Argentina)
PARALYMPIC ATHLETE OF THE
YEARAmalia Pérez Vázquez (Mexico)
BEST BASEBALL
PLAYERAlbert Pujols (Dominican Republic)
BEST BOXERMarcela "La
Tigresa" Acuña (Argentina)
BEST SOCCER
TEAMEstudiantes de la Plata (Argentina)
BEST SOCCER
PLAYERLionel Messi (Argentina)
BEST GOLFERAngel
Cabrera (Argentina)
BEST MOTORSPORT
DRIVERHelio Castroneves (Brazil)
The following Special Mentions and Recognitions were also
awarded:
SPECIAL
MENTIONExecutive Committee of CONMEBOL(Commemorating
50 years of the Copa Santander Libertadores)
SPECIAL MENTIONJavier
Aguirre (Mexico)(Outstanding Coach during 2010 CONCACAF World
Cup Qualifiers)
SPECIAL
MENTIONCuauhtémoc Blanco (Mexico)(All-Time Top
Mexican Scorer during Copa Santander Libertadores)
SPECIAL MENTIONHumberto
Chupete Suazo (Chile)(Top Scorer for CONMEBOL 2010 World Cup
Qualifiers)
SPECIAL MENTIONPaola
Espinosa (Mexico)(Outstanding Olympics Career)
SPECIAL MENTIONLiga de
Quito (Ecuador)(Champion of Copa Nissan Sudamericana)
OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY
SERVICEClub Pachuca (Mexico)
BREAKOUT ATHLETE OF THE
YEARFredy Montero (Colombia)
The Viewer’s
Choices
Selected exclusively by fans via premiosfoxsports.com,
winners of Viewer’s Choice Awards recognizing the best goals scored
during the 2009 editions of Fox Sports en Español and Fox Sports
Latin America’s exclusive soccer tournaments include:
BEST GOAL OF INTERLIGA™
2009Marco Fabián (Chivas de Guadalajara)
BEST GOAL OF COPA SANTANDER
LIBERTADORES 2009Martín Arzuaga (Universidad San
Martin)
BEST GOAL OF UEFA CHAMPIONS
LEAGUE 2008-2009Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Miss Premios Fox
Sports™
Based on a combination of total online votes and judge’s scores
from a live swimsuit and evening gown competition during this
evening’s telecast, Miss Ecuador Alessia Andrade was crowned the
winner of the inaugural Miss Premios Fox Sports™
contest, the first-ever sports-themed pageant recognizing the
beauty and grace of female sports fans throughout the United States
and the Spanish-speaking Americas. Miss Premios Fox Sports
was awarded a one-year spokesperson contract, a $1,000 cash prize
and the opportunity to join Fox Sports en Español and Fox
Sports Latin America’s prestigious team of on-air personalities
and commentators.
The musical line-up for the seventh edition of Premios Fox
Sports kicked off with the world television debut of cumbia
music group Nando Y Solja Kingz’ live performance of “Mission 1.”
Puerto Rican singer/songwriter and Latin Grammy-winner Kany Garcia
delighted fans with her latest single “Feliz.” International
superstar and Billboard Latin Music Award winner Pitbull closed the
show with the highly-anticipated, show-stopping rendition of his
chart-topping “I Know You Want Me” and a fan-favorite medley of
mega hits “Shut it Down” and “Hotel Room Service.”
Winners, honorees, celebrities and sports personalities in
attendance included actor and television personality Daisy Fuentes,
actor Wilmer Valderrama, recording artist and composer LENA,
Florida Marlins pitcher Aníbal Sánchez, singer and songwriter
Claudio Corsi, Mexican soccer superstar Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Miss
Universe 2003 Amelia Vega, television personality Maria Laria, and
Puerto Rican merengue singer Melina León.
In addition to Pink Carpet presenting sponsor Liverpool,
sponsors of the seventh annual Premios Fox Sports included
Banco Santander, Corona, Nextel, Red Bull, and
Bacardi. The inaugural Miss Premios Fox Sports
pageant was made possible through the generous support of
Tropicbeauty.com, Greenroom Salon, Flirtcatalog.com, True Religion
Eyewear, Baron Visual Images, and Rose Hall Resort – a Hilton
property (Montego Bay, Jamaica).
The live awards program was preceded by two official Premios
Fox Sports events benefiting the Ganley Foundation, a
non-profit organization that seeks to raise awareness about
depression and suicide. The Premios Fox Sports Golf
Classic and the first annual Premios Fox Sports Poker
Tournament were held on December 9 at Parkland Golf &
Country Club and The Poker Room at Seminole Paradise,
respectively.
About Fox Pan American
Sports
Fox Pan American Sports LLC, operator of Fox Sports en Español
and Fox Sports Latin America, is an international sports
programming and production entity jointly owned by HM Capital
Partners LLC and News Corporation's (NYSE:NWS) Fox Sports
International.
About Ganley
Foundation
The Ganley Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, creates
awareness and educates communities about depression and suicide
among adolescents. Ganley Foundation works to break through the
challenges and stigmas that prevent proper intervention and
treatment for depression. In 2004 the foundation launched The
Crusade for Awareness™ campaign which was created to promote mental
health by educating youth and their parents about the signs,
consequences and prevention of depression. Through education, young
people will be able to recognize the signs of depression in
themselves and their peers. Their mission is to save lives through
mental health awareness. For more information, please visit
ganleyfoundation.org.
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