County Sports Awards Winners Unveiled
The winners of the 2012 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Sports Awards were revealed on Wednesday evening at an exciting Olympic themed ceremony at Southampton Football Club.
The event was presented by Kris Temple from BBC South Today, through out the evening Hampshire's potential Olympic athletes congratulated the shortlisted nominees on their achievements and tested the audience on their Olympic sporting knowledge via short videos sent in especially for the evening. It was an inspiring and fitting way to celebrate a night of exceptional sporting achievement and endeavour, a reminder of a great sporting year ahead of us.
Winchester was well represented with 2 winners and 3 shortlisted nominees. Sailor Annabel Vose won Junior Sportswoman and Hampshire Boys U13 Squash club, sponsored by Promo Logo who won Junior Team.
Annabel Vose commented,
Great to be recognised in comparison to other female athletes who have also won major championships in their sport. It’s fantastic to sit along side them.”
Other shortlisted nominees included Jade Traynor and Dan Wiltshire were nominated for Junior Volunteer and James Clawes, who was nominated for Junior Disability Sportsperson Sponsored by Toucan Design.
The annual celebration of sport was hosted by Sport Hampshire & IOW and is an annual joint venture between Hampshire County Council, Sport Hampshire & IOW and Local authorities who have already hosted their own district versions of the awards. It is the only county-wide event to publicly reward commitment, performance and excellence across all sports in, coaching, volunteering, participation and performance.
Speaking at the event, Cllr Ken Thornber, Leader of Hampshire County Council commented,
Tonight has been a chance to recognise and reward local people’s dedication to sport and celebrate their achievements. It is especially rewarding to recognise our shortlisted nominees and winners in the year when the Olympic and Paralympic Games come to London. With so much commitment, inspiration and excellence within the sporting community in our county, I hope everyone will continue to inspire and develop new talent for the future and provide enjoyment for many more."
More than two hundred athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, teams and clubs were put forward to receive an award. The record number of entries underlines not only the strength in depth of sporting talent in the county, but also the commitment and dedication of the unsung heroes – the coaches, volunteers and officials - who work tirelessly behind the scenes to help local athletes, teams and clubs succeed.
The Awards benefitted from the support of a number of local businesses and organisations who came together to help share the celebration of local sporting excellence. The event was featured on BBC Radio Solent in the build up to the event, whilst support was also received from Coaching Hampshire & IOW, Promo Logo, Halo Conferences at Southampton Football Club, Hampshire 2012, inprint and Toucan Design.