IWC BRAND AMBASSADOR EILEEN GU HONOURED AT THE LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS 2023 IN PARIS
Schaffhausen/Paris, 9th May 2023: IWC Schaffhausen congratulates brand ambassador Eileen Gu on winning the “Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year” award at the 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards. The Olympic champion freestyle skier, fashion model and Stanford University student received the prestigious prize during the award ceremony in Paris last night.
Every year, Laureus celebrates the achievements of the most outstanding sportswomen and sportsmen at the Laureus World Sports Awards. First held in 2000, the event honours the greatest sporting triumphs of the year. The shortlists for the seven categories are created by votes from more than 1000 sports media, and the winners are selected through secret ballot votes by the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy – an illustrious group of sporting legends. Taking place at the Pavillon Vendôme in Paris, the ceremony marked the return to a physical format after two years of virtual presentations due to the global pandemic. During the event, Eileen Gu wore the Portofino Automatic Day & Night 34 with a charming day & night complication.
EILEEN GU HANDED OVER A SPECIAL MEDAL
Ahead of the award show, Eileen Gu handed over a special medal to Edwin Moses, Chairman of Laureus Sport for Good US. The Olympic legend took the medal on behalf of Olivia Époupa, who could not be there in-person, to highlight her impressive achievements in basketball. A professional basketball player in the FIBA EuroLeague Women today, Olivia Époupa is a former participant in the Laureus-supported “Paris Basket 18” programme. The programme uses basketball to empower young girls and women, give them more self-confidence and enhance their education. Eileen Gu created the medal during her recent visit to the IWC Manufakturzentrum in Schaffhausen, utilising the same sophisticated processes IWC employs to manufacture its high-quality mechanical timepieces.
ANOTHER MILESTONE IN AN INCREDIBLE CAREER
Laureus created the “Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year” award to honour outstanding achievements of athletes from the world of action sports. At 18, Eileen Gu became the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing after winning three medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The teenager’s achievements on snow also include a slew of other record-breaking performances, including being the first snowsport athlete to ever win three medals at both the 2021 XGames and FIS World Championships. She was the first female freeskier to land a double cork 1440 and unnatural double cork 1620 in competition.
But Eileen Gu is not only an accomplished athlete. She is also a successful fashion model and a student of science at the renowned Stanford University in California. Thanks to her unique combination of skills, passion and determination, Eileen Gu is the perfect embodiment of a modern, multifaceted woman and an inspiring role model for girls and young women worldwide.
LAUREUS USES THE POWER OF SPORT TO DO GOOD
In addition to honouring the most outstanding athletes of the year, the Laureus World Sports Awards also shine a spotlight on the work of the Laureus Sport for Good, a global movement that uses the power of sport to transform the lives of young people. The foundation currently supports more than 300 programmes in over 40 countries and territories. IWC has been a global partner of Laureus Sport for Good since 2005. The partnership with Laureus underscores the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer’s commitment to community engagement and having a positive impact on society.
LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD FOUNDATION
Laureus is a global movement that uses the power of sport to transform the lives of children and young people. In 2000, Laureus’ founding patron Nelson Mandela said, “sport has the power to change the world”, and these words have become the philosophy of Laureus and the driving force behind its work. Since 2000, Laureus Sport for Good has used the power of sport to overcome violence, discrimination and inequality, changing the lives of over six and half million children and young people. The foundation currently supports more than 300 programmes in over 40 countries and territories.
IWC Schaffhausen is a leading Swiss luxury watch manufacturer based in Schaffhausen in the north-eastern part of Switzerland. With collections like the Portugieser and the Pilot’s Watches, the brand covers the whole spectrum from elegant to sports watches. Founded in 1868 by the American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones, IWC is known for its unique engineering approach to watchmaking, combining the best of human craftsmanship and creativity with cutting-edge technology and processes.
Over its more than 150-year history, IWC has earned a reputation for creating professional instrument watches and functional complications, especially chronographs and calendars, which are ingenious, robust, and easy for customers to use. A pioneer in the use of titanium and ceramics, IWC today specialises in highly engineered watch cases manufactured from advanced materials, such as coloured ceramics, Ceratanium®, and titanium aluminide.
A leader in sustainable luxury watchmaking, IWC sources materials responsibly and takes action to minimise its impact on the environment. Along the pillars of transparency, circularity, and responsibility, the brand crafts timepieces built to last for generations and continuously improves every element of how it manufactures, distributes, and services its products in the most responsible way. IWC also partners with organisations that work globally to support children and young people.