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Cape Town - Nominations are open for the 2016 gsport awards, a five-week window calling for the public to nominate candidates across 14 categories including Athlete of the Year, Athlete of the Year with Disability, Junior Athlete of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Minister of Sport and Recreation South Africa, Fikile Mbalula, said: “Over the years, the gsport Awards have grown to the benefit of women. Our partnering with these excellence recognition awards is part of our sport developmental agenda to see the playing field levelled, with equal opportunities to all.
“This year, again, the gsport Awards will be an event that celebrates and honours women in sport.”
Having been recognised by Sport and Recreation South Africa in 2015, gsport continues to grow as it enters its second decade in existence, and features two new Award categories in 2016: Team of the Year; and School Sports Star of the Year.
gsport Founder Kass Naidoo said: “Team sports plays a big role in raising the profile of women’s sport, and it was certainly a category that was missing.
“And with a focus on school sport, we thought it important to introduce a category celebrating this age group.”
Once nominations close on July 15, gsport’s 4-member judging panel will deliberate to determine the top three finalists in each category. Then the general public is invited to become gsport’s fifth and ‘public’ judge, casting their votes online at the gsport website to help choose the winners.
Nominations can be made at the gsport website (gsport.co.za/nominations), or initiated via gsport’s social media channels, @gsport4girls on Facebook and Twitter. Nominations by email can be sent to nominations@gsport.co.za
Winners will be announced at the 2016 gsport Awards in August.
Aimed at promoting South African women in sport, the annual gsport Awards has been running since 2006, when Atlanta double Olympian gold medal winner Penny Heyns was inducted as the inaugural gsport Hall of Fame recipient 10 years after she became the first double Olympic gold medal winner for South Africa.
The categories for which public nominations are being sought are:
1. Athlete of the Year
2. Athlete of the Year with Disability
3. Junior Athlete of the Year
4. School Sports Star
5. Team of the Year
6. Coach of the Year
7. Woman of the Year
8. Woman in Media: Print
9. Woman in Media: Radio
10. Woman in Media: Social Media
11. Woman in Media: Television
12. 2016 Style Star
13. Volunteer of the Year
14. Supporter of the Year
gsport seeks the following information supporting nominations:
· Name and contact details of the person submitting the nomination
· Name and contact details of the nominee
· Which category the candidate is being nominated in
· A few compelling reasons why the person being nominated should be considered for an award at the 2016 gsport Awards
Winners at the 2015 SPAR gsport Awards included (from left) actress Nomzamo Mbatha winning the gsport Style Star Award; gsport Woman in Media Award (Print) recipient, Natalie le Clue; grassroots sports pioneer Faith Sibeko receiving a Ministerial Recognition of Excellence Award; gsport Athlete with Disability Award winner, Ilse Hayes Carstens; Reabetswe Mashigo taking the gsport Woman in Media (Social Media) Award; gsport Volunteer of the Year, Londiwe Hlatswayo; Minister of Sports and Recreation South Africa, Fikile Mbalula; 2015 gsport Junior Athlete of the Year, track star Gezelle Magerman; gsport’s 2015 Supporter of the Year recipient, ‘Mama Joy’ Chauke; women’s soccer stalwart Fran Hilton-Smith walking away with a gsport Special Recognition Award; Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba (obscured); Kershini Govender for Nedbank Sport receiving the gsport Sponsor of the Year Award; Mr Papi Nyapotse receiving a gsport Special Recognition Award for Nyapotse Inc Attorneys; former track and field star Geraldine Pillay receiving a Ministerial Recognition of Excellence Award (obscured); Minister of Women in the Presidency, Susan Shabangu; Mike Tippett (obscured) receiving the gsport Woman in Media Award (Television) Award on behalf of his daughter, Ronnie Tippett; gsport Founder, Kass Naidoo; 2015 gsport Woman in Media Award (Radio) Award recipient, Cindy Poluta; gsport Special Recognition Award winner, Cynthia Tshaka; and 2015 gsport Special Recognition Award, retiring hockey legend, Marsha Cox. Also honoured on the night were running legend Zola Budd, high-jump icon Hestrie Els (nee Cloete) and Paralympics medallist Zanele Situ, receiving Ministerial Recognition of Excellence Awards from Minister Fikile Mbalula, the SA Rugby Union walking away with the 2015 gsport Sports Federation of the Year, gsport Woman of the Year 2015 winner, Patricia Kamberami, gsport Coach of the Year Mampho Tsotetsi, the 2015 SPAR gsport Athlete of the Year recipient, Caroline Wostmann, and gsport Hall of Fame inductee, Natalie du Toit (Photo: Rebecca Hearfield / gsport)
