LAUSANNE, December 29, 2017 – World,European and La Liga Champions Real Madrid CF were voted the Best Team after a record-breaking2016/2017 season and the unique award for the Best Press Facility went to thefacilities and personnel of IAAF World Championships London 2017 : this is theresult of the most international poll yet by the International Sports PressAssociation (AIPS), with a panel of 517 journalists from 112 countries havingvoted for the Champions of 2017.
The AIPS Best Male and Female Athletes of 2017will be announced later in the day.
BEST TEAM OF 2017
In a season of record-breaking dominance, RealMadrid were crowned champions of Spain after a five-year wait, and made historyby becoming the first team in the European-League era to defend the ChampionsLeague trophy, after beating Juventus 4-1 in a superior final display.
These were the two crown jewels in a calendaryear that saw the team led by Zinedine Zidane win three more trophies – a recordeven by Real Madrid’s own impossible standards – and inspire the footballingworld and members of the media alike, earning the majority of votes from ourinternational panel.
The La Liga giants won the Spanish SuperCup against Barcelona, the UEFA Super Cup over Manchester United, and the FIFAClub World Cup earlier this month in Abu Dhabi. The win over Brazilian clubGremio, also means they are the club with the most World Cups with six,counting the previous Intercontinental Cup along with the current FIFA versionof the trophy.
What seemed to inspire so many about RealMadrid however, was not just the fantastic feats of Cristiano Ronaldo, whosedecisive performances brought him a 5th Ballon d’Or in 2017, but alsosystem of exciting young Spanish players performing alongside record signings.
Real Madrid were dominant in Best Team pollas well, receiving a total of 1096 votes, followed by the German nationalfootball team who proved their versatility and reserve of talent by winning theFIFA Confederations Cup with 738 votes, and NBA Champions Golden State Warriorsbroke into the football dominance with 601 votes in third place.
1 - Real Madrid CF - football 1096 (23.55%)
2 - Germany Men's National Team -football 738 (15.86%)
3 - Golden State Warriors - basketball 601(12.92%)
4 - SloveniaNational Team - Men - basketball 412(8.85%)
5 -France Davis Cup Team – tennis 333(7.16%)
6 -Netherlands National Team - Women – football 288 (6.19%)
7 -France National Team - Men - handball 288(6.19%)
8 -England National Team - Men - rugby 227(4.88%)
9 -Croatia National Team - Men - water polo 189(4.06%)
10 -Russia National Team - Men - volleyball 166(3.57%)
BEST PRESS FACILITY 2017
In one of the closest AIPS polls to date,the press facilities of the IAAF World Championships London 2017 were crownedthe best of 2017 by the members of the international media, ahead of the facilitiesof the UEFA Champions League Final and the FINA 2017 World AquaticsChampionships in Budapest.
The IAAF World Championships in London werein the sporting spotlight of 2017 as the legendary Usain Bolt ran his very lastrace and bid farewell to the track in an emotional goodbye that also saw the tremendousLondon crowds bid goodbye to their very own Mo Farah.
London 2017 saw 3,300 athletes from morethan 200 nations competing in 30 sessions across 20 days in both the IAAF WorldChampionships and Para-World Championships held at London’s iconic QueenElizabeth Park, the home of the 2012 Olympic Games, which included a vast mediacenter and tribune, and support for journalists and photographers.
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London 2017 attracted a record number of over2800 members of the media: 968 written press and photographers, 63 non-rights holders, and 1770 national broadcasters and rights-holders.
The event received a total of 666 votes,followed by the press facilities of the 2017 UEFA Champions League final theannual pinnacle of club football, with 582 votes. Only 142 votes separated thetop three Press facilities as voted by the international media, with the highlycommended FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest that attracted over 680journalists and photographers, in third place with 524 votes.
1 - IAAF World Championships London 2017 666 (14.31%)
2 - 2017 UEFA Champions League final 582(12.51%)
3 - FINA 2017 World Aquatics Championships 524 (11.26%)
4 - 2017 Wimbledon Championships 497 (10.68%)
5 - FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 386 (8.3%)
6 - Tour de France 2017 289 (6.21%)
7 - 2016-17 EHF Champions League 228 (4.9%)
8 - FIBA EuroBasket 2017 223 (4.79%)
9 - Judo World Senior Championship 2017 203 (4.36%)
10 - 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 179 (3.85%)
AIPS members from the following nations participatedin the Best of 2017 poll:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola,Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin,Bolivia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Chile,China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, CzechRepublic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, DR Congo, Ecuador, Estonia, Ethiopia,Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Greece,Guatemala, Guinea, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kosovo, Kuwait,Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal,Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay,Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, San Marino,Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka,Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda,Ukraine, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe.
