Chinese Olympic gold medallists Liu Xiang and Xing Huina have been nominated candidates for 2005 Laureus World Newcomer of the Year. Their rivals include Russian tennis stars Anastasia Myskina and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

In Athens Olympic Games, Liu Xiang's, equaling the 11-year-old world record of Colin Jackson, won China's first athletics gold since Atlanta in 1996. Xing Huina from east China's Shandong Province, made herself known by winning the gold in women's 10,000m.

Laureus World Sports Awards, Portugal 2005, are for the outstanding sporting achievements during the period from February 1, 2004 to January 31, 2005. The prizes also include World Sportsman of the Year, World Sportswoman of the Year and World Team of the Year. The list of nominees will be released in March 2005.

The winners, as voted by the Laureus World Sports Academy, which is composed of 41 world sports stars, are to be unveiled at an awarding ceremony to be held in Casino Estoril, Spain on May 16, 2005.

Dubbed "Oscar awards in sports", Laureus World Sports Awards are annual prizes, which will see their fifth anniversary in 2005. Chinese Yao Ming won the World Newcomer of the Year in 2003.

By People's Daily Online