Canadian Sport Awards return to honour country's top athletes
Ottawa hosts 1st edition of the event since 2012
The Canadian Sport Awards are back — and the list of nominees is awesome.
Many of Canada's top winter and summer athletes are gathering in Ottawa for Thursday night's 41st edition of the event. This country's premier event for national sport achievement and leadership recognition hasn't taken place since 2012.
Its return highlights the country's remarkable athletic talent.
The CBC's Scott Russell tees up awards night:
Standout athletes and performances from the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games make up the "Winter Sport Performance" category, while the "Summer Sport Performance" category showcases many of the top performances from the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, World Championships and other world leading performances.
In the winter sport category, Kim Boutin (short track speed skating), Alex Gough (luge), Kaetlyn Osmond (figure skating), and Kelsey Serwa (ski cross) have been nominated for female athlete of the year.
Ted-Jan Bloemen (long track speed skating), Samuel Girard (short track speed skating), Mikael Kingsbury (freestyle skiing), and Brian McKeever (Para Cross Country Skiing) are up for male athlete of the year.
In the summer sport category, Ellie Black (gymnastics), Brooke Henderson (golf), Kylie Masse (swimming), Taylor Ruck (swimming) have been nominated for female athlete of the year.
On the men's side, Aaron Brown (Athletics), Brent Lakatos (para-athletics), Nate Riech (para-athletics), Damian Warner (athletics), have been nominated for male athlete of the year.
The history of past award winners is rich, and includes Canadian sport icons Donovan Bailey, Chantal Petitclerc, Hayley Wickenheiser, Mark Tewksbury, Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir, Simon Whitfield, and Catriona Le May Doan, among others.
In the the categories of "Influencer" and "Corporate Excellence", athletes, sport leaders and corporations will be honours for their significant impact on Canada's sport community as well as social as a whole.
Here's a complete list of all the categories and the athletes who have been nominated.
New category added to Awards
This year's award has added the new category of People's Choice. This is giving the fans a chance to vote on the performance of the year, highlighting the most extraordinary moment in sport in a single international event.
The athlete(s) recognized for their impactful performance demonstrate several characteristics including determination, sportsmanship, perseverance, and focus – all culminating in a moment that inspired a nation.