What is an Athlete of the Year award?
Athlete of the Year is the annual honour a federation confers on the competitor judged to have had the outstanding season in its sport. It is the federation's own verdict, published at a formal awards ceremony, and it usually sits at the top of a set of category awards — track and field athlete of the year, rising star, coach of the year, and so on.[1] [2]
Which bodies name one?
Most international federations. World Athletics names World Athletes of the Year at its awards in Monaco; World Aquatics names Swimmers of the Year across each aquatic discipline; the FEI runs the FEI Awards; the ITF names ITF World Champions. National federations and National Olympic Committees name their own, and cross-sport awards — Laureus, the ESPYs — sit above all of them.[2] [3]
How is the winner chosen?
By nomination and vote. Federations typically publish a longlist drawn from the season's championship results and records, narrow it to finalists, then combine votes from the federation council, the member federations, an appointed media panel and — increasingly — a public vote. The shortlists themselves are published, which makes even a nomination a citable, dated federation act.[2] [4]
Why does it matter?
Because the awarding body is the same one that governs the sport worldwide, and because it names one man and one woman per year across every event and every country in that sport. Few honours combine a global field with that degree of selectivity, and the federation's own publication of the result makes it straightforward to verify.[1] [2]
References
- World Athletics — Athlete of the Year awards. Accessed August 2026.
- World Aquatics — 2025 Swimmers of the Year. Accessed August 2026.
- FEI — Awards winners. Accessed August 2026.
- ITF — ITF World Champions. Accessed August 2026.