Nominations open for Bay of Plenty Sports Awards

World champion kayaker Lisa Carrington is a regular winner of the Sportswoman of the Year title at the Bay of Plenty Sports Awards.

Nominations for the 2018 Bay of Plenty Sports Awards are now open, with this year marking 50 years since the awards begun.

The prestigious awards have a long-held tradition of honouring all aspects of sport, and include award categories for clubs and teams, administrators, young people, coaches and officials as well as individual athletes at the top of their game both nationally and internationally.

First held in 1969, the awards' inaugural winner was Una Wickham, a talented Tauranga local who represented New Zealand in cricket and golf in the 1950s and 60s.

Other Supreme Winners of the Bay of Plenty Sports Awards include rugby player and coach Gordon Tietjens from Rotorua, swimmer and diver Moss Burmester and, more recently, Peter Burling and Lisa Carrington.

Sport Bay of Plenty sport manager Nick Chambers says the number of locals who are national household names and have been honoured with a Supreme Award is testament to the strength and maturity of the region's sporting systems.

'What's unique about the awards is that they're not just for high-performance,” says Nick. 'The awards are a great opportunity for our community to celebrate the achievements of a range of people involved in sport throughout the Bay of Plenty.”

A panel of judges will select finalists and the winner will be announced at the Sports Awards Gala Dinner at ASB Arena on November 16.

Nominations for the 2018 Bay of Plenty Sports Awards close on October 5. Tickets for the gala dinner will go on sale on October 16. Visit: sportbop.co.nz/sportsawards to nominate someone today.

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