SA Sports Awards Nominees Announced

South Africa’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes feature prominently in the list of SA Sports Awards nominees announced at a glitzy ceremony at the Lyric Theatre in Gold Reef City on Thursday night.

Recently retired Paralympic icon Natalie du Toit and Olympic women’s 800m silver medalist Caster Semenya have been nominated in two categories each.

Du Toit will be up against South Africa’s number one wheelchair tennis star Kgothatso Montana, and fellow Paralympic stars, Ilse Hayes, Zandile Nhlapo and Ilse Hayes (Carstens) for Sportswoman of the Year with Disability.

Semenya will battle it out for the Sportswoman of the Year award with fellow Olympic medallist, Bridgitte Hartley, who won bronze in the K1 500m canoe sprint in London, South African Hockey captain, Marsha Marescia, Banyana Banyana ace Portia Modise, and Judo star Chantelle Doddemeade.

Both du Toit and Semenya are also nominated in the Sports Star of the Year category, which sees the public vote for their favourite star.

National women’s football team, Banyana Banyana, have been nominated in the Team of the Year category while Eastern Cape Diocesan School for Girls have been nominated in the School Team of the Year category.

Other women nominees include rising swimming star, Michelle Webber in the Newcomer of the Year category, Dr. Debbie Alexander, President of Triathlon South Africa, in the Administrator of the Year category, and Laetitia Goldman in the Volunteer of the Year category.

Winners will be announced at the 2012 SA Sports Awards gala dinner on 4 November 2012 t the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.