Madrid [Spain], April 18 (ANI): Legends of sport, past and present, will gather in Madrid next week to honour the greatest sportsmen and women of the year at the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards - the Athletes' Awards.

Laureus Ambassador Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history and winner of five Laureus Statuettes, will be one of the special guests at the gala event to be held at the Cibeles Palace on the evening of April 20, according to a press release.

Joining her will be two of football's most recognisable characters: Xavi Hernandez, who played more than 1,000 professional games, mainly for FC Barcelona whom he also managed, and was a World Cup winner for Spain in 2010; and Fabio Capello, now a Laureus Ambassador, who coached club sides including AC Milan, Real Madrid, Roma and Juventus, as well as the England and Russia national teams.

Among other sports stars attending are:

Spain's former world No 1 tennis player, now a Laureus Ambassador, Garbine Muguruza, won both the French Open and Wimbledon.

Jasmine Paolini, who won a gold medal in doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2025 French Open She was also a singles finalist at Wimbledon and the French Open in 2024. She led Italy to the 2024 and 2025 Billie Jean King Cup titles.

Amanda Anisimova was a finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2025, which helped her to a world No 3 ranking in January 2026. The 24-year-old American has won four WTA Tour titles.

Italian Paralympic fencer Bebe Vio, winner of the Laureus Disability Award in 2017.

Simone Barlaam, Italian Paralympic swimmer who is a multiple-time World and European champion. His most recent success was winning four gold medals in the 2025 World Championship in Singapore.

Yuvraj Singh, now a Laureus Ambassador, was a highly successful all-rounder for the India cricket team, playing in 40 Tests and 304 One-Day internationals.

Bianca Bustamente, a 21-year-old racing driver from the Philippines, is competing in the Eurocup-3 series.

The 2026 Laureus Awards will recognise the outstanding sporting triumphs of 2025, as well as celebrate more than two decades of the Laureus movement, which has used the power of sport to transform the lives of more than seven and a half million young people around the world.

The Award winners are decided by the votes of members of the Laureus World Sports Academy - the ultimate sporting jury - and will be announced at the gala event held at the Cibeles Palace. (ANI)