Sports, 3rd prize singles. Members of the Neptun Synchro synchronized swimming team perform during a Christmas show in Stockholm, Sweden, on 13 December 2015.Jonas Lindkvist for Dagens Nyheter
From Russian hockey players to African wrestling champions to a football team of Ebola survivors, the World Press Photo contest announced the top sports photographs of the year.
The 15 photographs were selected from among 82,951 images submitted by press photographers from across the world. The jury gave prizes in eight themed categories—from top Portraits to News to Nature.
The singles first prize went to Christian Walgram for his striking image of Czech Republic’s Ondrej Bank, mid-air on one ski during a downhill race at the FIS World Championships in Colorado. Another prize was given to Greg Nelson’s photo of basketball champion Ron Baker as he shoots for position during the National Athletic Association 2015 Mens Basketball Tournament game. Jonas Lindkvist’s photo followed with the Third Prize award for his image of synchronized swimmers performing a Christmas show in Sweden.
Three sports stories won: Vladimir Pesnya’s photographs of Russian hockey players going to regionals; Christian Bobst’s photo essay on wrestling tournaments in Senegal; and Tara Todras’ work on the Ebola Survivor’s Football Club to support survivors after 38 members of his family had died.
The overall winner, photographer Warren Richardson, captured a refugee father handing his baby to another man as they crossed the barbed-wired border between Serbia and Hungary.
Sports, 1st prize singles. Czech Republic's Ondrej Bank crashes during the downhill race of the Alpine Combined at the FIS World Championships in Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA, on Feb. 15, 2015.Christian Walgram, GEPA Pictures for National GeographicSports, 2nd prize singles. During the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2015 Mens Basketball Tournament game with Wichita State vs. Indiana, Ron Baker shoots over Nick Zeisloft whilst Hanner Mosquera-Perea and Rashard Kelly battle for position at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, on March 20, 2015.Greg Nelson for Sports IllustratedSports, 3rd prize singles. Members of the Neptun Synchro synchronized swimming team perform during a Christmas show in Stockholm, Sweden, on 13 December 2015.Jonas Lindkvist for Dagens NyheterSports, 1st prize stories. The match between junior teams from Vetluga and village Sharanga in Vetluga, Russia, Feb. 19 2015.Vladimir Pesnya for SputnikSports, 1st prize stories. A player from the junior team from the village Sharanga is expected to yield to the ice in Vetluga, Russia, Feb. 19, 2015.Vladimir Pesnya for SputnikSports, 1st prize stories. Players of an amateur hockey team in provincial Russia before, during and after a game in the regional championship in Vetluga, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia. In this photograph, Evgeny Solovyov, head coach of HC Vetluga prepares the stadium for the match in Vetluga, Russia, Feb. 19, 2015. Vladimir Pesnya for SputnikSports, 1st prize stories. Players in the locker room of HC Vetluga at halftime, Vetluga, Russia, Feb. 19, 2015.Vladimir Pesnya for SputnikSports, 2nd prize stories. BB Bisma Ndoye defeats the wrestler Maraka Dji in the Demba Diop stadium in Dakar, Sierra Leone, April 5, 2015.Christian BobstSports, 2nd prize stories. A tournament in the Adrien Senghor arena leans towards the end. The wrestling fights take place in the late evenings when temperatures drop. Dakar, Sierra Leone, March 28, 2015.Christian BobstSports, 2nd prize stories. Wrestlers performing rituals in Senegal. These tournaments resemble a festival including dance performances, music, and wrestling shows. In this photograph, Kherou, a young wrestling champion, performs a ritual in the water of the sea while pouring milk over his body in order to obtain the reinforcement of a ghost who lives in the stones at the shore. Dakar, Sierra Leone, Aug. 11, 2015.Christian BobstSports, 2nd prize stories. A group of people watch the wrestling match on television in Dakar, Senegal, April 4, 2015.Christian BobstSports, 3rd prize stories. Erison Turây plays in a practice match with female members of the Ebola Survivors Football Club in the city of Kenema, Sierra Leone, April 21, 2015.Tara Todras-Whitehill, Vignette Interactive Sports, 3rd prize stories. Erison Turay founded the Ebola Survivor's Football Club to support survivors, after 38 members of his family had died. In this photograph, Erison Turây walks to the football pitch to practice with the Ebola Survivors Soccer Club. Kenema, Sierra Leone, April 21, 2015.Tara Todras-Whitehill, Vignette Interactive Sports, 3rd prize stories. Residents of Freetown cheer for the Ebola Survivors Football Club on a field in the city of Kenema, Sierra Leone, April 21, 2015.Tara Todras-Whitehill, Vignette Interactive Sports, 3rd prize stories. Prison Turây, centre right, helps referee a practice game with female members of the Ebola Survivors Football Club in the city of Kerema, Sierra Leone, April 21, 2015.Tara Todras-Whitehill, Vignette Interactive
