Laureus Sport for Good 2026 Shortlist Honors Six Programs Changing Lives Through Play

Laureus Sport for Good announced the six finalists for its 2026 Sport for Good Award in April, spotlighting organizations around the world that use sport as a tool for social change. The award recognizes grassroots programs whose impact is measurable in children's lives, schools and communities.

This year's shortlist includes Rugby for Good in Hong Kong, which reaches 30,000 children through school and community programs, and MindLeaps, which uses dance to help 10,000 children in post-conflict and low-income settings develop the cognitive and emotional skills needed to return to school. Also on the list are TRASO, which trains young people in Sub-Saharan Africa as coaches and community leaders, and Italy's A.S.D. Gruppo Sportivo Valanga, a Turin-based group that uses mountain sports to support refugee and migrant youth.

“The award recognizes grassroots programs whose impact is measurable in children's lives, schools and communities.”

Fútbol Más, which works across Latin America and Europe to use football to improve child well-being in vulnerable neighborhoods, and the Kings County Tennis League, which provides year-round free tennis coaching in Brooklyn public housing, complete the shortlist. Each program blends sport with mentorship, academic support, mental health services or leadership training — a model now backed by strong evidence.

The Laureus Sport for Good movement, funded by partners including Mercedes-Benz and IWC Schaffhausen, has invested in hundreds of programs serving millions of young people globally over the past two decades. The 2026 Awards will be handed out at the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony later this year, with all six finalists receiving multi-year support to scale their work.