Jan. 23, 2017
OTTAWA – The Ottawa Sports Awards today announced the city’s top athletes in sports from athletics through to wrestling, and teams set to be honoured at the 64th-annual edition of Canada’s longest-running amateur sport recognition program. Over 60 individuals and more than 45 Ottawa-based teams that distinguished themselves at a provincial, national, or international level will collect their honours at the celebratory banquet on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at Algonquin College.
A cast of Olympians who participated in the Rio de Janeiro Games this summer are among those being recognized, including Melissa Bishop (Athletics), Cameron Smedley (Canoe Slalom), Mike Woods (Cycling), Melanie McCann (Modern Pentathlon and Fencing), Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson (Swimming), Eugene Wang (Table Tennis), and Erica Wiebe (Wrestling). Rio 2016 Paralympians Jason Dunkerley (parasport), Andrew Todd (rowing) and Patrice Dagenais (wheelchair rugby) are also among the honourees.
Full biographies on each of the individual sport award winners, as well as the standout local teams, are now available at:
https://www.ottawasportsawards.ca/award-winners/year/2016/
Alongside the previously-announced Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, these winners will be amongst the top contenders for the Major Awards in 2016.
A pair of athletes who were the best in the world in 2016 are the frontrunners for the Kristina Groves Female Athlete of the Year Trophy – speed skating world champion Ivanie Blondin and Olympic wrestling champion Erica Wiebe.
Fresh off his first career individual World Cup gold medal, 2014 Male Athlete of the Year Vincent De Haitre is back in the running for the top men’s prize, while Paralympic rowing bronze medallist Andrew Todd and Canadian university basketball player of the year Mike L’Africain of the uOttawa Gee-Gees are also strong challengers.
A deep field including the Jenn Hanna Curling Rink (Ontario Scotties champions), the Rachel Homan Curling Rink (top-ranked team on World Curling Tour order of merit), The Cyclery-Opus Women’s Cycling Team (dominant force at Canadian Road Cycling Championships), and the uOttawa Gee-Gees women’s rugby team (national silver medallists) will contend for the Female Team of the Year Award, while the Carleton Ravens men’s basketball will seek to add a sixth consecutive Male Team of the Year Award to match their run of six national university championships in a row.
In a change from recent years, those Major Award winners will be unveiled later this week in advance of the banquet, along with the Male and Female Coach of the Year honourees.
The reception for the Feb. 1 banquet begins at 6 p.m., dinner is at 7 p.m. and award presentations begin at 8 p.m., running through to approximately 10 p.m.
For more information and to reserve tickets online up to Jan. 27, visit ottawasportsawards.ca. After this date, tickets are subject to availability.
Contacts
Doug Scorrar
Chair, Ottawa Sports Awards
613-795-8111
[email protected]
Charlie Pinkerton
Ottawa Sports Awards
613-929-3681
[email protected]