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GERMANY WORLD CUP HEROES CELEBRATE AFTER WINNING LAUREUS TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD

SOURCE:  LAUREUS 

SHANGHAI – The Laureus World Team of the Year Award has been presented to the German Football Team following their historic triumph in Brazil last year when they became the first European nation to win the FIFA World Cup in South America. It was Germany’s fourth World Cup success.

Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff, who was presented with the prestigious Laureus Statuette by Henry Cavill and Fabio Capello at the Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony in Shanghai, said:

“At the final whistle we were together on the pitch, the coaches, players, team staff members, it was such a connection amongst us. For the coaches and some of the players and me it was a ten-year project. And so we were so happy at this moment .”

The Laureus World Sports Awards are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar.   The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 50 of the greatest living sportsmen and sportswomen. Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Since its inception, Laureus has raised €60 million for projects which have improved the lives of millions of young people.

Coach Joachim Löw told Laureus: “ There were one or two very difficult matches in which we really had to fight hard to win and then above all there was the historic 7-1 against Brazil followed by a magical night in Rio, at the Maracana. Of course Mario Götze and his goal made sure that all of us went through unbelievable emotions and great joy. When the final whistle blew it was something of a release for me, with a feeling of great satisfaction .”

And Mario Götze, who will forever be known as the man who won the 2014 World Cup after scoring the winning goal in the final against Argentina, recalls: “ I certainly will never forget this moment, but everything happened so fast and I moved instinctively to score. When I went on, Jo achim Löw said ‘let´s change the game and show the world that you are better than Messi’ .”

André Schürrle, who made the assist for the goal and scored twice in the match against Brazil, said: “ Thank you so much for having been given this Award. Everyone is really thrilled; it has been a really special event for us and we feel very honoured for Germany to have been voted. ”

Laureus Academy Members and Ambassadors paid tribute to the achievements of the German team. Marcel Desailly, himself a FIFA World Cup winner with France, said: “ Germany’s World Cup success in Brazil was remarkable, especially the 7-1 semi-final victory over Brazil. You have to give Joachim Löw so much praise for creating the team and then delivering success in South America, which has not always been an easy place for European teams to win.”

While Laureus Ambassador Fabio Capello, now coach of the Russian national team, said: “ They worked to improve after the disaster 12 years ago in the World Cup. And after this really strong work, they won the title after a long time. They had really good players, good coach, with good organisation, a really, really, really good mentality. This time, they won the title because of being the best team. ”

In an excellent all-round team performance, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer won the Golden Glove award and was on the shortlist of three for the Ballon d’Or/ FIFA World Player of the Year award. Germany manager Joachim Löw was voted Coach of the Year at the Ballon d’Or awards. And captain Philipp Lahm, Mats Hummels and Thomas Müller were all named in the FIFA Team of the Tournament.

In other categories, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic won his second Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award after another brilliant 12 months which featured a second Wimbledon victory, while Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba was named Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year after breaking three world records in different events in two weeks. She was only the third ever person to achieve that feat, along with athletic giants Jesse Owens and Usain Bolt.

Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo was named winner of the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award after a brilliant rookie season in which he won three Formula One Grand Prix for Red Bull. He said: “ The year was awesome, one of those years which I think was as good as it could get without actually winning a title. Definitely a breakthrough in my career. ”

The Awards were announced in seven categories. The full list of winners is:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year : Genzebe Dibaba

Laureus World Team of the Year : Germany Men’s Football Team

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year : Daniel Ricciardo

Laureus World Comeback of the Year : Schalk Burger

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability : Tatyana McFadden

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year : Alan Eustace

There were three additional Awards: the Laureus Spirit of Sport Award was presented to Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming, the Laureus Academy Exceptional Achievement Award was given to retired tennis star Li Na and the Laureus Sport for Good Award was presented to the worldwide skateboard programme Skateistan.

During the event, it was announced that Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and Yao Ming had been elected members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.

The globally televised Laureus World Sports Awards was hosted by British film and TV actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Among the presenters were Hollywood legend Bill Murray, star of iconic films such as Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters and Hyde Park on Hudson , Henry Cavill, who played Superman in the film Man of Steel , multi award-winning Korean actress Ha Ji-won, and actress and model Karolína Kurková.

The Awards Ceremony is attended by legends of sport past and present and celebrates the achievements of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year. The Host Partner of the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards is Chinese textile and wool company HengYuanXiang Group (HYX), and the event has received t he strong support of the Shanghai Municipal Government.

The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy present in Shanghai were: Marcus Allen, Nadia Comaneci, Deng Yaping, Mick Doohan, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mika Hakkinen, Mike Horn, Michael Johnson, Kip Keino, Franz Klammer, Li Xiaopeng, Tegla Loroupe, Edwin Moses, Robby Naish, Ilie Nastase, Alexey Nemov, Morn é du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Mark Spitz, Sachin Tendulkar, Daley Thompson, Steve Waugh, Yang Yang and Yao Ming.

Other guests included: Valerie Adams, Robert Baker, Annabelle Bond, Schalk Burger, Cafu, Eric Cantona, Shelley Gautier, Michael Holding, Nyjah Huston, Janica Kostelic, Jens Lehmann, Leung Yuk Wing, Li Ning, Vanesa Lorenzo, Sage Kotsenburg, Danny MacAskill, Tina Maze, Heyneke Meyer, Roman Petushkov, Carles Puyol, Louis Saha, Anna Schaffelhuber, Sarah Storey, Sun Wen, Pierre Vaultier, Jean de Villiers and Ireen Wüst.

Shanghai, one of China’s most iconic travel destinations and one of the most spectacular cities on Earth, is a perfect location for the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards. A popular tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks, such as The Bund, City God Temple and Yu Garden, as well as the dramatic Lujiazui skyline, it is a showcase for the booming economy of China. Shanghai mixes old world charm with a modern and vibrant city, perfectly blending the past and present. Shanghai annually hosts some of the biggest sports events in the world, including the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix and the IAAF Shanghai Diamond League meeting.

Enjoying a long-standing reputation in China, HYX is a leading force in the textile and garment industry. In recent years HYX has evolved into a modern enterprise developing its own unique ‘brand and culture’, through brands like ‘HYX’, ‘Fazeya’ and ‘Nanonan’. For many years, HYX has actively focused on sport and been a partner in sports events like football, basketball, gymnastics and marathon. In December 2005, HYX became the first non-sports textile and costume sponsor in the history of the Olympics and three years later became the first partner of the Chinese Olympic Committee, customizing the Olympic kit for Chinese athletes.

The ‘Eternal Love’ programme, co-founded by HYX and the China Children and Teenagers’ Foundation, has won the China Charity Award twice, being honoured as the No.1 a ctivity for caring for orphaned and disabled children in China. Also, the ‘HYX Literature Star High School Students’ Writing Contest’ has become the most influential event of its kind, attracting the largest number of contestants. In 1997 and 2007 HYX supported the ‘10,000 Teenagers’ Recreational and Sports Activities’ event in Tiananmen Square, in Beijing, China, to promote the health of teenagers.

SOURCE:  Volkswagen Group 

Volkswagen Group delivers 2.49 million vehicles in first quarter / increase of 1.8 percent

• 968,300 vehicles handed over in March / +2.3 percent
• Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler: “No guarantee this will be successful year.”

Wolfsburg – The Volkswagen Group delivered 2.49 million vehicles from January to March (January-March 2014: 2.44; +1.8 percent). The Company handed over 968,300 (March 2014: 946,900; +2.3 percent) vehicles to customers in the month of March. “The delivery trend for the first three months shows there is no guarantee this will be a successful year”, Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler said in Wolfsburg on Friday. “We saw positive momentum in Western Europe. However, uncertainty – sometimes significant – continues to prevail on markets in Central and Eastern Europe as well as South America”, Klingler continued.

Group brands delivered a total of 1.02 (0.98; +4.1 percent) million vehicles on the overall European market in the first quarter, of which 556,100 (525,100; +5.9 percent) were handed over in Western Europe (excluding Germany). 314,800 (288,700; +9.1 percent) customers chose a new vehicle from the Group in the home market of Germany, while Europe’s largest automaker delivered 147,500 (165,000; -10.6 percent) units in Central and Eastern Europe. In Russia 43,500 (68,300; -36.4 percent) customers took possession of a new vehicle.

The Company delivered 205,800 (197,800; +4.1 percent) vehicles in the North America region from January to March, of which 131,600 (133,500; -1.4 percent) were handed over in the United States. The Volkswagen Group delivered 152,800 (185,400; -17.6 percent) vehicles to customers in the South America region during the same period, of which 110,900 (142,300; -22.1 percent) were handed over in Brazil.

The Group recorded slight growth in deliveries in the Asia-Pacific region and reached the million mark for the first time in the first quarter of a year, handing over 1.00 (0.98; +2.1 percent) million vehicles to customers there, of which 898,400 (881,100; +2.0 percent) units were delivered in China, the Group’s largest single market.

Outline of developments at Group brands

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 1.48 (1.50; -1.3 percent) million vehicles to customers worldwide in the first quarter of 2015.

The premium brand Audi handed over 438,200 (412,800) vehicles in the first three months of the year, an increase of 6.1 percent.

The sports car manufacturer Porsche delivered a total of 51,100 (38,700) vehicles, representing an increase of 32.2 percent compared with the previous year.

The Czech brand ŠKODA delivered 265,100 (247,200) vehicles from January to March, a rise of 7.2 percent.

SEAT handed over 102,700 (93,400; +10.0 percent) vehicles to customers worldwide in the first quarter.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles delivered 108,200 (103,200; +4.8 percent) vehicles during the same period.

The MAN brand delivered 22,100 (26,400; -16.4 percent) units from January to March.

The Swedish brand Scania delivered 17,500 (18,800; -7.1 percent) heavy trucks and buses to customers in the period to March.

SOURCE:  Department of Defense

General Officer Assignments

SOURCE:  Department of Defense

Flag Officer Assignments

PHOTO(s) OF THE DAY

SOURCE:  Department of Defense /Defense News Lead Photo