Sports Awards shortlist revealed

The 2019 Orkney Sports Awards shortlist has been revealed in today’s The Orcadian.

Twenty-nine athletes, teams, officials, coaches and volunteers across nine categories have made the shortlist for this year’s awards.

The awards feature an all-female cast in the running for Sportsperson of the Year with Taylah Spence, Mia McAllister and Maggie Tait all making the shortlist.

Island Games stars Spence and McAllister both enjoyed medal success at the Games in Gibraltar and fencer Maggie Tait is also nominated following her outstanding efforts at the World Veterans Fencing Competition in Cairo.

The Young Sportsperson of the Year sees weightlifter Ross Sinclair, netballer Kristi Rendall and squash player Finlay Scott shortlisted.

The Performance of the Year Award — awarded to an individual or team who produced an outstanding performance in 2019 — also returns.

This award sees a shortlist of eight with the winner decided by the public via an online poll on The Orcadian website. The poll will close at midnight on Wednesday, January 22.

Aside from Orkney’s athletes and teams, a huge emphasis of the awards is placed on recognising and celebrating the dedication of coaches, volunteers and officials, without whom, sport simply couldn’t happen.

Micheal Swanney, of Orkney Islands Council’s Active Schools team which organises the event said: “The Orkney Sports Awards is a celebration of our rich sporting community, and I am positive that the awards night on Friday, January 24, will be another successful and enjoyable evening.”

Tickets for the awards, held at KGS at 7pm, can be purchased from The Orcadian Bookshop, Kirkwall, priced at £6.