Has Rupert blown the whistle?

What happens to a grand idea when its visionary steps away?

- Nickolaus Bauer in Madrid

That's the quiet question being asked around the 25th edition of the Laureus World Sports Awards — held this year in Madrid, Spain — an evening of glitz, legends and lofty ideals.

But missing from the spotlight was the man without whom the Laureus project might never have come to life — the South African billionaire Johann Rupert.

Rupert, who co-founded Laureus in 1999 through Richemont — the Swiss luxury goods company he chairs — was nowhere to be seen at this year’s silver jubilee celebration. For an awards body frequently dubbed “the Oscars of sport”, his absence was hard to miss.

Whispers rippled through the VIP rooms and media pits: “Is Rupert done with Laureus?”

There’s no doubting the legacy of the awards.

“The brainchild of Johann Rupert and the power of our founding patron Nelson Mandela, Laureus continues to impact communities around the world,” said Laureus ambassador and All Blacks great Sean Fitzpatrick.

That impact is measurable — over €150 million raised since inception, with 300 social programmes in more than 40 countries reaching close to six million young people.

But legacies require ongoing investment — and not just financial. The question is whether Rupert, 74, still has the drive to carry the Laureus vision forward.