For many men today is the greatest day of the year, due to the release of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Magazine. Brooklyn Decker, the knockout model and wife of tennis star Andy Roddick, graced this years cover in a yellow bikini. Over the last decade, SI has not only featured the most naturally gifted supermodels in the edition, but also many of the sexiest athletes have been photographed for the Swimsuit Issue, and this year was no different.

Lindsay Vonn became the latest Athlete to grace the SI Swimsuit Issue

Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, who is no stranger to social media-she has a Twitter and Facebook account and has 35,000 followers-is featured in this edition in a white and red bikini wearing a white ski hat. Vonn was recently in the news due to her confusion as to whether or not she is allowed to “tweet” or facebook during the Winter Games, thanks to new blogging guidelines created by the IOC.  She was also featured on the cover of this week’s SI Olympic Preview Issue.  Her counterpart, Hannah Teter, an Olympic snowboarder, chose to be a little racier and is topless in her photo.

These are just two examples of athletes who are continually being noticed for more than just their athletic abilities. Amanda Beard, Jennie Finch, Anna Kournikova, Maria Sharapova, and the Williams sisters have all been featured in the SI Swimsuit Edition over the last decade.

Lindsay Vonn graced the cover of this week's SI Olympic Preview

According to MSNBC.com, “Sports Illustrated says that the swimsuit issue is seen by more than 65 million Americans, including 40 percent of the nation’s adult males.” However, women aren’t the only attraction found in the edition. Male athletes most notably, Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Kidd and Joe Montana, have all taken off their shirts as a gift for women everywhere.

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has never been a disappointment and this year is sure to be no different. Whether it is models, athletes, men or women, the Swimsuit Edition is a joy for everyone.

Athletes are icons because of their physical prowess, focus, raw talent, and the ability to capture your attention with a mere swing of a bat, kick, sprint, dive, or jump. But let’s be honest, that’s not the only reason why these Greek Gods and Goddesses are iconic.

The truth is, we all admire physical beauty. Tiger Woods sells magazines when he takes his shirt off. Cristiano Ronaldo makes you feel uncomfortable when your girlfriend suddenly becomes a Real Madrid fan. Serena Williams has you thinking of more than tennis when she lets out that trademark yelp after a mean backhand. And Amanda Beard makes swimming, possibly the 2^nd most boring spectator sport behind polo, interesting.

But what about the athletes not making the ESPN headlines? The ones whose sports or countries are a bit off the American radar screen. Well, look no further. Here’s a list of some of the world’s hottest athletes you may not now about, but you most certainly should:

Fabiola De Silva

1)     Fabiola de Silva: She’s the hottest thing on skates since whiny Nancy Kerrigan. But Fabiola does her work on hard concrete and shaped wood ramps of the world’s top skate parks. This Brazilian bombshell could be considered the Danika Patrick of inline skating. A winner of 7 X-Game gold medals, and over 50 LG Action Sports World Tour medals, she is easily the most decorated female athlete in her sport. She is also a pioneer, informally creating what is know as the “Fabiola rule”, which allows women to compete with men in international inline vert competitions.

Allison Stokke

2)     Allison Stokke: This Turkish-American pole vaulter from Newport Beach, CA set the net ablaze when photos of her became desktop wallpaper for male blogophiles and pic junkies worldwide. The now infamous photo of Stokke at a high school track meet caused a bit of controversy as it was taken when she was 17, and circulated online more than that youtube video of a baby eating a lemon. Stokke, now 18, is a freshman at UC Berkeley, and has broken almost every school record for her class. And seriously, did ANYONE pay attention to pole vaulting before this? I seriously doubt it.

The Las Leonas Argentine Field Hockey Team

3)     Las Leonas (Argentine National Field Hockey Team): To say that Argentine women are hot is like saying it snows in Alaska. But in case you didn’t know that, have a gander at this South American nation’s pride and joy, Las Leonas (The Lionesses). I would have picked one specifically, but that would be an injustice to the rest of the team. Oh yeah, and they’re good, very good. This team of hotties from the land of Evita have medaled in the past 3 Olympic Games, as well as winning the Gold medal in the 2002 Hockey World Cup in Australia.

Lauren Jackson

4)     Lauren Jackson: This Aussie baller certainly brings the heat on the court for the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, but she’s also famous for ditching the green and white jersey for a famous 2004 photo spread in her birthday suit. Jackson, who started playing basketball at the age of four, was a high school star in the land of Oz before becoming a marqui player in the world’s top female basketball league. Besides her professional achievements, Jackson lead the Australian national team to a Silver Medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, as well as a 2006 FIBA World Championship in Brazil in 2006.