Olympians Stephanie Pohl (GER) and Andrea Sartoretti (ITA)

Lausanne, Switzerland, November 02, 2004 - The third edition of the EUROSPORT SportStar Awards was held at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland under the patronage of Dr. Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC Honorary President and Eurosport. More than 50 Olympic medallists were honoured, selected not only for their results in Athens but for their demonstration of the Olympic spirit and their upholding of true Olympic Values as well.

The Eurosport SportStar Awards were first held in Monaco in 2000 to celebrate Sydney's Olympians, followed by Lausanne in 2002 in tribute to the Salt Lake City Olympians. This year's event returned to Lausanne rewarding, among others, Volleyball player Andrea Sartoretti (ITA), and Beach Volleyball player Stephanie Pohl (GER) for their outstanding performance and for their demonstration of the Olympic Spirit.

" Today we pay tribute to all the men and women who were the pride of European sport in Athens. We thank them in the name of our viewers for giving us the chance to live unforgettable moments that are already part of sporting history, " said Mr. Angelo Codignoni, Eurosport's President and CEO.

Mr. Jean-Pierre Seppey, FIVB's General Manager, also present at the awards ceremony said that he was proud of all the athletes who had achieved such excellence with passion and discipline. "When we look at the history of Volleyball and the huge leap forward in the last two decades, we can only thank Dr. Ruben Acosta, FIVB President for innovating and developing Volleyball and Beach Volleyball ", he added.

FIVB Beach Volleyball Coordinator, Mr. Angelo Squeo was excited to see the players honoured. "This is a good reward for the German Beach Volleyball movement and we commend the German National Federation and the promoter for their contribution to Beach Volleyball in developing the sport through different events especially the Beach Volleyball Tour, "he concluded.