By Stephan Sookram
THE National Sport Commission (NSC) has disclosed that the 2016 edition of its National Sport Awards will undertake a different format from that of previous years. According to Director of Sport Christopher Jones, the new format of the premier award for sport personalities and athletes will take a Grammy style format with the winner of various categories only knowing their fate on the night.
The director continued, “On the day of the awards, that is essentially when the athletes will know whether or not he or she was successful; they would not get any pre-empted information.”
During an exclusive interview with Chronicle Sport on Friday, Jones indicated that this is a major part of the revamp of the NSC adding that, “I do not subscribe to such a protocol that was being used before.”
He said the anyhow and ad hoc manner in which past awards were done will no longer prevail.
“As such, in order for us to have a pool of people who will be fair and transparent, we will throw it out to the public. We are going to have public advertisements to identify those individuals who will essentially identify sports reps and sports personalities” the sport director continued.
He added that even though those selected persons will be in caucus, they will not know the recommendation choice of the other members or the voting choice of any other panellists, allowing for greater transparency.
Guyana and West Indies spin bowler is the reigning Sportsman of the Year, while track athlete Cassie George won the Sportswoman of the Year as well as the Junior Sportswoman of the Year awards.
Motor racer Kristian Jeffrey received the runner-up Sportsman of the Year award, while squash player Akeila Wiltshire received the runner-up Junior Sportswoman award.
The runner-up Junior Sportsman award went to Shemron Hetmyre, while track athlete Jason Yaw collected the Junior Sportsman of the Year award.
Multitalented athlete Alisha Fortune won the runner-up Sportswoman of the Year award.
The Guyana Rugby Football Union also cashed in on the Most Improved Association award, the Sports Association of the Year award and the Sports Team of the Year award.
Stabroek News’ Orlando Charles and Emerson Campbell won the best photographer and print journalist awards respectively, while Guyana Television Channel 28’s Avenesh Ramzan won the Best Sports Journalist (non-print), GRFU’s President Peter Green won the Male Sports Personality award and National Rugby coach Theodore Henry won the Sports Coach award.