The PAP European Sportsperson of the Year ( pl, Ankieta PAP na 10 najlepszych sportowców Europy) is an annual sports award presented by Polish Press Agency (PAP). Both male and female athletes are considered for the award by a panel of 27 international news agencies. The winner is announced each year on the second Christmas Day.

History

It was founded by Włodzimierz Źróbik and has been awarded annually since 1958. The European Sportsperson of the Year award honours the sportsperson deemed to have performed the best over the previous year, based on voting by 27 international news agencies. The inaugural winner of the award was Olympic gold medallist

Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Zdzisław Ludwik Krzyszkowiak (; 3 August 1929 – 23 March 2003) was a Polish track and field athlete, winner of the 3000 metre steeplechase at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Born in Wielichowo, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Krzyszkowiak won 13 Polis ...

who specialized in the

3000 metre steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 metres, which derives its name from the ...

. The 27 agencies that are part of the panel are:

EFE Agencia EFE, S.A. () is a Spanish international news agency, the major multimedia news agency in Spanish language and the world's fourth largest wire service after the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. EFE was created in 1939 ...

(

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

) France Presse (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Agerpress AGERPRES () is the national news agency of Romania. History The National News Agency "AGERPRES" is the oldest Romanian news agency and the first autonomous agency in Romania. It was established in March 1889 at the initiative of Foreign Minist ...

(

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

ANP ANP may refer to: In politics and government *Afghan National Police *''Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis'' or National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (Brazil), a regulatory agency in Brazil *American N ...

(

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

), APA (

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

), ATA ( Albania), Belga ( Belgium), Belta ( Belarus), BTA ( Bulgaria), CTK ( Czech Republic), DPA ( Germany), Elta (

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

FENA Federal News Agency or FENA ( bs, Federalna novinska agencija - sr, Федерална новинска агенција - ФЕНА) is the government-owned national news agency of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. History It was establ ...

( Bosnia and Herzegovina), HINA ( Croatia), LETA (

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

), Lusa ( Portugal), Moldpres ( Moldova), SDA-ATS (

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

), SHGSK ( Kosovo), SID ( Germany), Sita ( Slovakia), STA ( Slovenia), Tanjug ( Serbia), TASS ( Russia), Ukrinform ( Ukraine) and PAP ( Poland). The most wins are held by representatives of track and field sports (24), followed by tennis (14) and

Formula 1 Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

(9). Roger Federer is the most successful individual winner with five victories, followed by Novak Djokovic with four victories, while Valeriy Brumel and Michael Schumacher hold three victories each. In 2005, Roger Federer and Yelena Isinbayeva were declared joint winners. So far, 47 male and 17 female athletes received the title of PAP European Sportsperson of the Year.

Winners 1958-2010

List of past winners from 1958-2010:

(Poland, 1958), Vasili Kuznetsov (USSR, 1959), Yury Vlasov (USSR, 1960), Valeriy Brumel (USSR, 1961, 1962, 1963), Lidiya Skoblikova (USSR, 1964),

Michel Jazy Michel Jazy (born 13 June 1936) is a French former middle-distance runner and long-distance runner. He won the 1500 metres silver medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics, as well as two golds (in 1962 and 1966) and one silver (in 1966) at the Europ ...

(France, 1965), Irena Kirszenstein (Poland, 1966), Jean-Claude Killy (France, 1967, 1968), Eddy Merckx (Belgium, 1969, 1970), Juha Väätäinen (Finland, 1971),

Lasse Virén Lasse Artturi Virén (born 22 July 1949) is a Finnish former long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. Virén recaptured the image of the "Flying Finns" promoted by runners like Hannes Kolehmainen, Paa ...

(Finland, 1972),

Kornelia Ender Kornelia Ender (later Matthes now Grummt, born 25 October 1958 in Plauen, Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt) is a former East German swimmer who at the 1976 Summer Olympics became the first woman swimmer to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games, ...

(East Germany, 1973), Irena Szewińska (Poland, 1974),

(East Germany, 1975), Nadia Comăneci (Romania, 1976), Rosemarie Ackermann (East Germany, 1977),

Vladimir Yashchenko Vladimir Ilyich Yashchenko (russian: Владимир Ильич Ященко) or Volodymyr Yashchenko ( uk, Володимир Ященко) (12 January 1959 – 30 November 1999) was a Ukrainian member of the Soviet national team and former w ...

(USSR, 1978),

Sebastian Coe Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, (born 29 September 1956), often referred to as Seb Coe, is a British politician and former track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, including 1500 metres gold medal ...

(Great Britain, 1979), Vladimir Salnikov (USSR, 1980),

(Great Britain, 1981), Daley Thompson (Great Britain, 1982),

Jarmila Kratochvílová Jarmila Kratochvílová (; born 26 January 1951, in Golčův Jeníkov) is a Czech people, Czech former track and field athlete. She won the 400 metres and 800 metres at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics, 1983 World Championships, setting a ...

(Czechoslovakia, 1983), Michael Gross (West Germany, 1984),

Sergey Bubka Sergey Nazarovych Bubka ( uk, Сергій Назарович Бубка; born 4 December 1963) is a Ukrainian former pole vaulter. He represented the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. Bubka was twice named Athlete of the Year by ''Tr ...

(USSR, 1985),

Heike Drechsler Heike Gabriela Drechsler (; ; born 16 December 1964) is a German former track and field athlete who represented East Germany and later Germany. One of the most successful long jumpers of all-time, she is a former world record holder and ranks ...

(East Germany, 1986), Stephen Roche (Ireland, 1987),

Steffi Graf Stefanie Maria Graf ( , ; born 14 June 1969) is a German former professional tennis player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 for a record 377 weeks and won 22 major singles titles, ...

(West Germany, 1988, 1989),

Stefan Edberg Stefan Bengt Edberg (; born 19 January 1966) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles between 1985 ...

(Sweden, 1990), Katrin Krabbe (Germany, 1991),

Nigel Mansell Nigel Ernest James Mansell, (; born 8 August 1953) is a British retired racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship (1992) and the CART Indy Car World Series ( 1993). Mansell was the reigning F1 champion when he moved over ...

(Great Britain, 1992), Linford Christie (Great Britain 1993), Johann Olav Koss (Norway, 1994),

Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician ** ''Jonathan Edwards'' (album), debut album ...

(Great Britain, 1995), Svetlana Masterkova (Russia, 1996), Martina Hingis (Switzerland, 1997), Mika Häkkinen (Finland, 1998), Gabriela Szabo (Romania, 1999),

Inge de Bruijn Inge de Bruijn (; born 24 August 1973) is a Dutch former competitive swimmer. She is a four-time Olympic champion and a former world record-holder. Personal De Bruijn was born in Barendrecht, Netherlands. Inge is the sister of Olympic water po ...

(Netherlands, 2000), Michael Schumacher (Germany, 2001, 2002, 2003), Roger Federer (2004), Roger Federer and Yelena Isinbayeva (Switzerland and Russia 2005), Roger Federer (Switzerland, 2006, 2007), Rafael Nadal (Spain, 2008), Roger Federer (Switzerland, 2009), Rafael Nadal (Spain, 2010).

Winners since 2011

Winners by country

Notes

References