The awards were founded in 2008 to reward organisations and individuals "who have made an outstanding contribution to peace, dialogue and social stability in the world through sport".

The majority of winners are chosen by a jury panel, which includes President of United World Wrestling, Nenad Lalovic, and Pedro Yang, a Guatemalan basketball player and Champion of Peace.

Before the awards got underway, there were speeches from Peace and Sport President Joël Bouzou and Nobel Peace Price laureate Muhammad Yunus, as well as a question and answer session with Ivory Coast footballer and Champion for Peace Didier Drogba.

Popal, who spoke at an event earlier in the day, won the Champion of the Year award ahead of fellow footballer Juan Mata and track and field athlete Ladji Doucoure.

Popal defied Taliban law in her youth to play football with her friends and has gone on to become a figurehead in Afghanistan where women’s professional football is now growing.

Speaking after receiving her award, Popal said: "I was not expecting this.

"It's an honour to be here and receive this award among all these champions."

She dedicated the award to her family, friends and "to those who believe in what I am doing".

The BWF took home the Federation of the Year award for their Shuttle Time initiative, which aims to make badminton one of the world's most accessible sports by offering school teachers free resources, training and equipment to help their pupils.

Foundation of the Year was contested between three footballing foundations - FC Barcelona Foundation, The Deutsche Fussball Liga Foundation and La Fondation Paris Saint Germain.

It was the FC Barcelona Foundation that won the award.

They were praised for their work with refugees which helps the lives of more than a million people.

Sport Simple Programme of the Year went to Welcome to Yorkshire, Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries.

The organisation recycle discarded bicycles and give them to children in the English county.

Another award which highlights a Peace and Sport campaign is the "April6".

This award is given to an individual or organisation who have contributed to the celebration of April 6, the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, though Peace and Sport's White Card initiative.

The White Card initiative asks people to use a blank piece of card at their event as a symbol of peace through sport.

The award was won by Brussels Play 4 Peace, who, using the White Card initiative, hold an annual event with 30 different sports workshops over the course of a weekend aimed at integrating communities.

The winner of the NGO Award, for non-government organisations, was chosen via a public vote with Horn of Africa Development Initiative taking home the prize.

Other award winners were Ojo x Ojo for Event of the Year, Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit for CSR Initiative of the Year, French National Union of Professional Footballers with the Special Jury Prize and The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia with the Diplomatic Action of the Year award.

Tomorrow sees the final day of the Peace and Sport Forum with more workshops and discussions, before Bouzou officially closes proceedings with a speech at lunchtime.