Danish Sports Name of the Year


The Sports Name of the Year is an annual award presented to the Danish sportsperson or team judged to have delivered the best performance of the year. The award was inaugurated in 1991 and is awarded jointly by the National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark and Team Danmark; prior to 2019, DIF presented the award with the newspaper Jyllands-Posten. In addition to the award the winner is granted a monetary prize, which as of 2019 stands at.
The Danish women's national handball team and Viktor Axelsen have won the award three times, the most of any team or individual. Six individuals have won the award twice.
The most recent winner was handball player Mathias Gidsel, who received the award in January 2026 for the 2025 year.

List of laureates

By year

  • Numbers in parentheses indicate a multiple award winner.
  • The "finalists" column refers to the other nominees shortlisted for the award
YearWinnerSportFinalistsRef.
1991Mette JacobsenSwimming
1992Jesper Bank, Jesper Seier and Steen SecherSailingDenmark national football team
Arne Nielsson and Christian Frederiksen
Vibeke Toft and Allan Tornsberg
Connie Hansen
1993Denmark women's national handball teamHandball
1994Denmark women's national handball team Handball
1995Mette Jacobsen Swimming
1996Bjarne RiisCycling
1997Wilson KipketerAthletics
1998Eskild Ebbesen, Thomas Ebert, Victor Feddersen and Thomas PoulsenRowing
1999Camilla MartinBadmintonDenmark national football team
Mette Jacobsen
Wilson Kipketer
2000Denmark women's national handball team Handball
2001Thomas BjørnGolfDenmark national football team
Tom Kristensen
2002Tom KristensenAuto racingDenmark men's national handball team
Denmark women's national handball team
Wilson Kipketer
Thor Kristensen and Thomas Ebert
2003Nicki PedersenSpeedway
2004Eskild Ebbesen, Thomas Ebert, Thor Kristensen and Stephan MølvigRowingDenmark women's national handball team
Tom Kristensen
2005Tom Kristensen Auto racingMichael Maze
Joachim Olsen
2006Mikkel KesslerBoxingMichael Rasmussen
Kristina Stokkebroe and Peter Stokkebroe
2007Mads Rasmussen, Rasmus Quist HansenRowingDenmark men's national handball team
Nicki Pedersen
2008Denmark men's national handball teamHandballDenmark men's lightweight coxless four
Martin Kirketerp and Jonas Warrer
2009Lotte FriisSwimmingMichael Maze
Caroline Wozniacki
2010Caroline WozniackiTennisMatti Breschel
Lotte Friis
2011Jeanette OttesenSwimmingDenmark men's national handball team
Caroline Wozniacki
2012Lasse Norman HansenCyclingDenmark men's national handball team
Mads Rasmussen and Rasmus Quist Hansen
2013Maja JagerArcheryJesper Hansen
Tom Kristensen
2014Camilla PedersenTriathlonDenmark men's lightweight coxless four
Rikke Møller Pedersen
2015René Holten PoulsenCanoe sprintMaja Alm
Jeanette Ottesen
Anne-Marie Rindom
2016Pernille BlumeSwimmingDenmark men's national handball team
Sara Slott Petersen
2017Viktor AxelsenBadmintonJena Mai Hansen and Katja Salskov-Iversen
Caroline Wozniacki
2018Caroline Wozniacki TennisPernille Harder
Michael Valgren
2019Mads PedersenCyclingDenmark men's national handball team
Anne-Marie Rindom
2020Danish National Track Cycling Team
Lasse Norman Hansen, Julius Johansen, Frederik Rodenberg and Rasmus Pedersen
Track cyclingViktor Axelsen
Pernille Harder
2021Viktor Axelsen BadmintonAnne-Marie Rindom
Lasse Norman Hansen and Michael Mørkøv
2022Jonas VingegaardCyclingViktor Axelsen
Danish national dressage team
2023Denmark men's national handball team HandballViktor Axelsen
Jonas Vingegaard
2024Viktor Axelsen BadmintonDenmark men's national handball team
Anne-Marie Rindom
2025Mathias GidselHandballJonas Vingegaard
Mads Pedersen

By number of wins

The table below lists the individuals and teams who have won Sports Name of the Year more than once.
WinnerSportYears won
3Denmark women's national handball teamHandball1993, 1994, 2000
3Viktor AxelsenBadminton2017, 2021, 2024
2Mette JacobsenSwimming1991, 1995
2Eskild EbbesenRowing1998, 2004
2Thomas EbertRowing1998, 2004
2Tom KristensenAuto racing2002, 2005
2Caroline WozniackiTennis2010, 2018
2Lasse Norman HansenCycling2012, 2020
2Denmark men's national handball teamHandball2008, 2023

By sport

The table below lists the total number of Sports Name of the Year awards won by the winners' sporting profession.
SportYears won
6Handball1993, 1994, 2000, 2008, 2023, 2025
5Swimming1991, 1995, 2009, 2011, 2016
5Cycling1996, 2012, 2019, 2020, 2022
4Badminton1999, 2017, 2021, 2024
3Rowing1998, 2004, 2007
2Auto racing2002, 2005
2Tennis2010, 2018
1Sailing1992
1Athletics1997
1Golf2001
1Speedway2003
1Boxing2006
1Archery2013
1Triathlon2014
1Canoe sprint2015