The 2021 Gauteng Sports Awards will on Saturday, 13 November once again honour those athletes, teams, administrators, and media personalities who have made an impact on South African sport through their performances. The Finalists Announcement for the 10th edition of the prestigious awards took place this past Friday at an event hosted by the Gauteng MEC of Sport, Mbali Hlophe in the Sedibeng District Municipality.
This year, there are 19 Categories, up from 16 in previous years. The introduction of the Online Virtual Sport and Recreation Programme of the Year category has come about due to sporting codes and federations needing to become more creative in finding ways of keeping their sport active. Many of which resorted to virtual platforms and competitions.
“It is really with great delight that we announce the nominees of this year’s Gauteng Sports Awards,” says Gauteng MEC for Sport, Mbali Hlophe. “The pandemic caused us to put a halt to sport for more than a year and we have had to find unique ways in which to bring back sport to our communities. Sport is such a vital part of our lives and more often than not unites us as communities. So it was really difficult for us to have to cancel the 2020 edition of the Gauteng Sports Awards and gives us immense pleasure to be able to once again honour and reward Gauteng’s best athletes, administrators, coaches and media personalities who have been able to keep us entertained and who have overcome so much in the past 18 months.”
Amongst the nominees for Sportsman of the Year are illustrious names such as Olympic Gold Medallist and World Recorder Holder, Tatjana Schoenmaker and Proteas Cricket Captain, Temba Bavuma.
Schoenmaker made the list along with Bavuma and Karate’s Morgan Ross, after her two-medal haul at the 2020ne Olympic Games in Tokyo where she netted Silver in the 100m Breaststroke and Gold in the 200m Breaststroke.
Schoenmaker had South Africans in a frenzy when she set a new Olympic Record of 1:04.82 in the Women’s 100m breaststroke semi-finals on 25 July, 2021 to reach the finals and become a sure medal contender. She went on to convincingly win and set a new World Record time of 2:18.95sec in the 200m Breaststroke.
Temba Bavuma, the Proteas Cricket Captain in the Limited Over and T20 Teams this year chose his tenure as ODI Captain at the Pink Day Match against Pakistan and smacked 92 runs off 102 deliveries to help lead his team to a 17 run victory to square the series.
Under his leadership, the Proteas made a 3-0 clean sweep against Ireland in their T20 Tour of the nation, and won the T20 Tournament against the West Indies 3-2 as well as the T20 Tour of Sri Lanka 3-0.
19 Categories
There 19 different categories in which athletes, administrators and media personalities will be honoured with Kgothatso Montjane leading the Disabled Sportswoman of the year award with her Runner Up spot in the Wimbledon singles and doubles finals. Double Paralympic Gold Medallist, Ntando Innocent Mahlangu, is amongst the nominees for Disabled Sportsman of the Year after taking gold in the men’s long jump T63 category and the 200m in the T61 category in Tokyo this year. He set two World Records in the Long Jump on his way to winning the Gold Medal.
No surprises that Rocco Meiring, coach of Tatjana Schoenmaker is on the list of Coach of the Year while gentle giant, Kyle Blignaut is amongst the contenders as Most Promising Athlete after his 6th place showing in the men’s Shot Put Final at the Olympic Games. That category is arguably one of the most tightly contested of the Awards, as Blignaut will be up against Caitlin Rooskrantz who became the first South African Gymnast to qualify for the Olympics since Zandre Labuschagne in 2004 and is the first South African Gymnast of Colour to don the Green and Gold at an Olympics. Simone Kruger finished in 5th in the Paralympics in the F38 category in the Women’s Standing Discuss.
Schoenmaker, Bavuma and Montjane are further nominated in Sport Personality of the Year Award while award winning Journalist Mpumi Manyisi has been nominated in the Journalist of the Year and Community Sports Media of the Year Award for Soweto TV.
Tuks Aquatics are amongst the list of Sport Team of the year after Tatjana Schoenmaker’s exploits in Tokyo. Her incredible performance dragged team mate, training partner and friend, Kylene Corbet to three lifetime best performances and a 5th place in the 200m breaststroke finals at her first Olympic Games.
Sports Personality of the Year Award Voting
The Sports Personality of the Year Award will be awarded by public votes which opened this Friday, 15 October and close at 12h00 on November 14.
To vote for Kgothatso Montjane SMS Sport01 to 45682
To vote for Tatjana Schoenmaker SMS Sport02 to 45682
To vote for Ntando Mahlangu SMS Sport03 to 45682
To vote for Themba Bavuma SMS Sport04 to 45682
To vote, sms Sport followed by your nominee number, eg: Sport01 for (Kgothatso Montjane) to 45682, SMS charged at 1.50 free SMS do not apply.
There is no limit to the number of SMSes sent per cellphone number.
The competition runs from 15 October to 14 November 2021 at 12h00 midday, T&C’s apply
The full list of awards are:
– Sport Personality of the Year
– Sportsman of the Year
– Sportswoman of the Year
– Sports Team of the Year
– Disabled Sportswoman of the Year
– Disabled Sportsman of the Year
– Disabled Sport Team of the Year
– Coach of the Year
– Most Promising Athlete of the Year
– Technical Official of the Year
– Sport Federation of the Year
– Administrator of the Year
– Amayanga -Yanga athlete of the Year
– Sport Fan of the Year
– Community Sport and Recreation Programme of the Year
– Online Virtual Sport and Recreation Programme of the Year
– Sports Journalist of the year (print, radio, television)
– Sport media of the Year (Community media)
– Lifetime Achievement Award (chosen by MEC)
The list of finalists is attached as an addendum.
Follow Gauteng Sports awards on social media:
Facebook: Gauteng Sports Awards
Twitter: @GPSportAwards
Instagram: GP_SportAwards