WEST Indies spinner Veerasammy Permaul will be trying for back-to-back Sportsman-of-the-Year titles when the National Sport Commission (NSC) hosts its annual award ceremony this evening.The Guyana spinner will come up against four other contenders, including Caribbean motor racing champion Kristian Jeffrey, bodybuilder and three-time Mr Guyana winner Kerwin Clarke,

Olympian Winston George and bodybuilder Devon Davis.
In the Sportswoman-of-the-Year category Alisha Fortune has West Indies cricketer and World Cup champion Tremayne Smartt, and Caribbean table tennis champion Chelsea Edghill to contend with.
At the junior male category, West Indies U-19 captain Shimron Hetmyer is vying against world-ranked badminton player and Caribbean bronze medallist Narayan Ramdhani, Terrence Williams, and Caribbean squash champion Shomari Wiltshire.

With six nominees the Junior Sportwoman-of-the-Year is one of the more populated categories.
Last year’s runner-up in the squash player Akeila Wiltshire will try to go for the win this year as her performances from last year are measured against those from Edghill, badminton’s Priyanna Ramdhani, swimming’s Aleeka Persaud, and Mandy Mangal from cricket.
Last year’s winner of both Sportswoman and Junior Sportswoman-of-the-Year, Cassie George, will not be back to defend her title.
The Guyana Sport Shooting Federation, Guyana Badminton Association, Guyana Table Tennis Association, and Guyana Football Federation are up for the Most Improved Sports Association/Federation award.
Winners will be selected from 16 categories, selecting the best of the best in sports last year, based on their performances in their various sporting disciplines.
NSC head, Director of Sport Christopher Jones, explained a lot has gone into making this year’s edition of the National Sports Award a remarkable one, having invigorated the event with several changes ranging from the selection process for tonight’s nominees to new trophy designs.
Unlike previous years, tonight’s nominees for the different categories enter the arena unaware of whether or not they have prevailed against their fellow competitors in their category.
The winners of the categories are so far, known only to an independent source and will be delivered in sealed envelopes, under security of a Guyana Defence Force Major. All of these new measures are designed to preserve the integrity of the selection process, according to Jones.
The nominations, from the 42 sports associations across Guyana, were deliberated upon by a panel of seven judges, none of whom was aware of the fellow panellists, or even which nomination any of the other judges voted for.
The selection of the panellists themselves, Jones shared, was another challenge all of its own, as the NSC sought to select fair and unbiased judges. Jones underlined that neither he nor the NSC had any part in selecting the winner from the nominations, further trying to erase fears of any bias in the selection process.
“Selection of the panellists wasn’t an easy task, but we ensured we selected people with integrity. We identified seven panellists from across the three counties. The panellists are unknown to each other; they had to email their choices to an independent source. Outside of that the NSC and the Director of Sport had no role in the selection process. ” Jones explained.
However, lack of nominations has left some of the winners already revealed in some categories. In the Male and Female Athlete with Disability the only nominations are Calvin Thomas and Deandre David, respectively, making them automatic winners.
Another special feature of the grand night will be NSC signature trophies, Jones says.
“The trophies were imported from the U.S., and these trophies are now a signature for these awards and for the Sports Commission meaning only the Sports Commission can order them.” Jones said.
The evening’s feature address is set to be delivered by the country’s Acting President, Moses Nagamootoo when the gala event gets going from 19:00hrs at the National Cultural Centre (NCC).