At an impressive ceremony attended by many former and current athletic stars and administrators at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Trinidad, awards and accolades were given at the 30th annual Commonwealth Sports Awards. The event was convened to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Trinidad & Tobago.
During the event, which was managed by All Sports Promotion Ltd., and chaired by its Marketing Director Mr. Anthony Harford, Grenada’s Kirani James was named the most outstanding athlete of the Commonwealth. This announcement placed him ahead of the other two finalists – Yohan Blake of Jamaica and Mo Farah of the UK.
In the women’s category, Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya was named the most outstanding female athlete. Kishorn Walcott received the outstanding Young Achiever Award, while Eleanor Simmonds of England and Mr. Alphanso Cunningham of Jamaica were the outstanding female and male athletes with disabilities.
Lifetime achievement awards were given to Merlene Ottey and Don Quarrie of Jamaica, and Dr. Iva Glouden and Hasely Crawford of Trinidad & Tobago for their outstanding performances and contributions over the years. Mike Fennel of Jamaica was recognized as the outstanding sports administrator.
It should be noted that the evaluating and voting period for these awards ended in June 2012 and did not include performances at the London 2012 Olympics. The awardees were drawn from nominations from the 71-member Commonwealth Games Federation. Kirani James, due to his pressing academic commitments was unable to attend the ceremony. His award was collected on his behalf by Mr. Aaron Moses, First Vice-President of the Grenada Athletic Association.
