Steve Waugh admitted to prestigious Laureus Academy

Steve Waugh has been honored yet again, this time more for his off-field achievements © Getty Images Enlarge

Steve Waugh, the former Australian captain, has been named the newest member of the Laureus World Sports Academy. Waugh, 40, was the 41st member of Laureus, a unique collection of prominent sportsmen and sportswomen that includes Sebastian Coe, Michael Jordan, John McEnroe, Nadia Comaneci, Mark Spitz, Jack Nicklaus, Pele and Katarina Witt.

Laureus said Waugh was included for his work on and off the field. He is the second Australian in the academy after the swimmer Dawn Fraser, and the fourth cricketer, joining England's Ian Botham, India's Kapil Dev and the West Indies' Viv Richards.

"I believe high-profile, influential people have a moral responsibility to become involved with charities for the disadvantaged," Waugh said. "That's what the Laureus Academy members do, and why I take so much pleasure in being asked to join them on their mission. The more you help people the more you grow as a person and in return you're helping someone else."

Waugh will travel to Sri Lanka to join Botham and Kapil in launching a new project to aid victims of last December's tsunami disaster. Waugh became captain of Australia's cricket team in 1999 and became the most successful Test captain in history with 41 victories from 57 Tests and a success rate of 71.93%. He led Australia to the World Cup in 1999 and retired from Test cricket in January 2004.

Edwin Moses, the chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, said Waugh's inclusion was "a very important day" for the group. "Steve was a tremendous competitor at the highest level who established a team which has virtually dominated cricket for a generation, a remarkable achievement in any sport," he said. "I am delighted that he has accepted our invitation to join the Academy and I know that he will be an energetic worker for the causes that Laureus supports." Waugh has also been active in helping under-privileged children in Australia and India.