Sunday 5 November 2016
The Awards, now in their 29th year, have led the way in recognising and celebrating the outstanding contribution to sport made by elite athletes, coaches, administrators, community volunteers and inspirational women.
On the evening of Thursday, December 8, the Awards will take place at the News UK headquarters in London Bridge.
The top-six shortlisted for the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year award include the following outstanding women: Nicola Adams (boxing); Charlotte Dujardin (equestrian); Jade Jones (taekwondo); Johanna Konta (tennis); Dame Sarah Storey (track/road cycling); Laura Trott (track cycling)
Previous winners of the main award, the coveted Sportswoman of the Year accolade, include Jessica Ennis-Hill, who won in 2015, and Charlotte Dujardin, Sally Gunnell, Dame Kelly Holmes, Denise Lewis, Christine Ohuruogu, Victoria Pendleton and Zara Phillips.
A three-week public vote for the Community Award commences on Sunday, November 6.
The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards 2016 in association with Vitality are among the most prestigious and influential in the British sporting calendar and this year new categories have been added to celebrate the success of our Olympians and Paralympians at the Rio Olympic Games.
The Sportswomen Awards are once again supported by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, UK Sport, Sport England and Women in Sport.
Neville Koopowitz, CEO of Vitality, said: “Our congratulations to everyone on the shortlist. In an Olympic and Paralympic year there are always standout individuals, along with the exceptional team performances that we are highlighting with the Vitality Team of the Year award. As well as recognising the achievements of elite sportswomen, the awards also draw well-deserved attention to those people who work tirelessly to support women’s sport in their communities. All those nominated help inspire women of all ages to actively engage in sport and live a healthy life and we look forward to recognising their achievements next month.”
Eleanor Mills, Editorial Director, The Sunday Times said: “We’re delighted to honour the outstanding sportswomen of the UK and Ireland in our annual sportswomen awards. It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our female athletes, especially after the hugely successful Rio Olympics this year. The public vote gives the awards added significance and it’s an excellent shortlist that we’re looking forward to celebrating in the coming weeks.”
The shortlist of finalists for 2016:
The Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year
The ultimate accolade for your favourite Sportswoman of 2016
Nicola Adams (boxing)
Charlotte Dujardin (equestrianism)
Jade Jones (taekwondo)
Johanna Konta (tennis)
Dame Sarah Storey (track and road cycling)
Laura Trott (track cycling)
Vitality Team of the Year
Celebrating the achievements of Britain’s successful collective efforts
4x100m athletics relay squad
GB hockey team
Manchester City women FC
Rowers Helen Glover & Heather Stanning
Team pursuit cycling squad
Olympian of the Year
The outstanding performance from the Rio Olympic Games
Nicola Adams (boxing)
Saskia Clark & Hannah Mills (sailing)
Charlotte Dujardin (equestrian)
Helen Glover & Heather Stanning (rowing)
Jade Jones (taekwondo)
Laura Trott (track cycling)
Paralympian of the Year
The outstanding performance from the Rio Paralympic Games
Natasha Baker (equestrianism)
Kadeena Cox (athletics & track/road cycling)
Sophie Christiansen (equestrianism)
Hannah Cockroft (athletics)
Bethany Firth (swimming)
Dame Sarah Storey (track & road cycling)
Young Sportswoman of the Year
Nominees must have been 21 or younger on January 1, 2016
Catie Munnings (motorsport)
Siobhan-Marie O’Connor (swimming)
Ellie Robinson (swimming)
Amy Tinkler (artistic gymnastics)
Community Award
For individuals who have actively engaged with different groups of people within their community through sport
June Adams (head coach, Ecco gymnastics club, Sheffield)
Kirsty Cameron (founder, Ladies Leisurely Cycles Facebook group)
Sue Robertson (founder, Disabled Golf Association)
Lauren Gregory and Rebecca Chumun (volunteers, Run Like A Girl group)
To vote for your favourite Community candidate, please visit: sportswomenoftheyear.co.uk
Winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration will be announced on the evening.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Vitality: Henry Robson - 07958 778 244 - henry.robson@essentiallygroup.com
The Sunday Times: Emily Bayliss – emily.bayliss@news.co.uk
Notes to editors
About The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards 2016 in association with Vitality
The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards 2016 in association with Vitality are among the most prestigious and influential in the British sporting calendar. The previous winners of the main award, the coveted Sportswoman of the Year accolade, are:
1988 Olive Jones
1989 Kim Thomas
1990 Denise Smith
1991 Sally Gunnell
1992 Tanni Grey-Thompson
1993 Sally Gunnell
1994 Denise Lewis
1995 Lynn Simpson
1996 Laura Davies
1997 Alison Nicholas
1998 Denise Lewis
1999 Paula Radcliffe
2000 Denise Lewis
2001 Ellen MacArthur
2002 Paula Radcliffe
2003 Pippa Funnell
2004 Dame Kelly Holmes
2005 Zara Phillips
2006 No award
2007 Victoria Pendleton
2008 Nicole Cooke
2009 Chrissie Wellington
2010 Maggie Alphonsi
2011 Sarah Stevenson
2012 Jessica Ennis-Hill
2013 Christine Ohuruogu
2014 Charlotte Dujardin
2015 Jessica Ennis-Hill
About Vitality – changing health and life insurance for good
Vitality is the insurance business that helps people understand how they can improve their own personal health. Vitality makes it cheaper and easier for its members to get healthy and gives them rewards to keep them motivated, through a range of discounts and incentives.
Vitality believes in the power of sport to help inspire people to live a healthy life, which is why it partners with leading sports figures, teams and events to help share the Vitality message.
Vitality Ambassadors Jessica Ennis-Hill, Jonny Wilkinson, Joe Root and Maro Itoje are role models who embody the values of Vitality. They are all using their passion for living a healthy lifestyle to motivate others to make positive changes. Taking small steps today can dramatically improve wellbeing over the long-term, regardless of your current state of health.
Vitality is Official Wellness Partner of Arsenal FC, AFC Bournemouth, Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC, England Rugby, Scottish Rugby, Welsh Rugby, Cricket’s UK Test Match Grounds and England Netball. The business has also partnered with the RSPCA for Big Walkies, is title sponsor of the Vitality Run Series and Official Partner of The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards in association with Vitality.
VitalityHealth is one of the UK’s leading private medical insurers and has pioneered the ‘shared-value’ insurance model. This is a unique approach which delivers value for Vitality members through rewards and ultimately better health. Society as a whole also benefits, as do the company’s profits, which comes about as a result of people being healthier and claiming less often.
VitalityLife is one of the fastest growing life insurers in the UK. It is unique to the current UK protection market and its suite of products includes Life Cover, Income Protection Cover, Serious Illness Cover, Business Protection and other additional products. By recognising people's efforts to look after themselves, VitalityLife is able to offer a more comprehensive set of benefits than traditional providers at a very competitive price.
For more information visit www.vitality.co.uk
About News UK
News UK is home to some of the biggest and most popular British newspapers. The Times and The Sunday Times are the world’s best-known quality newspapers, and The Sun remains the most read British newspaper with more than 11 million readers per week. While our papers have individual identities that reflect their different heritage, all look to break the most important stories, inform our readers, champion them and the causes closest to their hearts, and help them make sense of the modern world. Our titles have a weekly print reach of approximately 10.5 million readers, and represent around 32.5% of UK circulation of national dailies. Employing around 2,600 in operations spanning journalism, printing, distribution and back-office support across the UK, the direct and indirect contributions made by News UK businesses to UK GDP are considerable.
For more information, please visit www.news.co.uk or follow us on Twitter @NewsUK
Shortlist announced for The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards 2016 in association with Vitality
The shortlist of finalists has been confirmed for The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards 2016 in association with Vitality. Six leading contenders have been shortlisted for the prestigious Sportswoman of the Year accolade.The Awards, now in their 29th year, have led the way in recognising and celebrating the outstanding contribution to sport made by elite athletes, coaches, administrators, community volunteers and inspirational women.
On the evening of Thursday, December 8, the Awards will take place at the News UK headquarters in London Bridge.
The top-six shortlisted for the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year award include the following outstanding women: Nicola Adams (boxing); Charlotte Dujardin (equestrian); Jade Jones (taekwondo); Johanna Konta (tennis); Dame Sarah Storey (track/road cycling); Laura Trott (track cycling)
Previous winners of the main award, the coveted Sportswoman of the Year accolade, include Jessica Ennis-Hill, who won in 2015, and Charlotte Dujardin, Sally Gunnell, Dame Kelly Holmes, Denise Lewis, Christine Ohuruogu, Victoria Pendleton and Zara Phillips.
A three-week public vote for the Community Award commences on Sunday, November 6.
The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards 2016 in association with Vitality are among the most prestigious and influential in the British sporting calendar and this year new categories have been added to celebrate the success of our Olympians and Paralympians at the Rio Olympic Games.
The Sportswomen Awards are once again supported by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, UK Sport, Sport England and Women in Sport.
Neville Koopowitz, CEO of Vitality, said: “Our congratulations to everyone on the shortlist. In an Olympic and Paralympic year there are always standout individuals, along with the exceptional team performances that we are highlighting with the Vitality Team of the Year award. As well as recognising the achievements of elite sportswomen, the awards also draw well-deserved attention to those people who work tirelessly to support women’s sport in their communities. All those nominated help inspire women of all ages to actively engage in sport and live a healthy life and we look forward to recognising their achievements next month.”
Eleanor Mills, Editorial Director, The Sunday Times said: “We’re delighted to honour the outstanding sportswomen of the UK and Ireland in our annual sportswomen awards. It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our female athletes, especially after the hugely successful Rio Olympics this year. The public vote gives the awards added significance and it’s an excellent shortlist that we’re looking forward to celebrating in the coming weeks.”
The shortlist of finalists for 2016:
The Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year
The ultimate accolade for your favourite Sportswoman of 2016
Nicola Adams (boxing)
Charlotte Dujardin (equestrianism)
Jade Jones (taekwondo)
Johanna Konta (tennis)
Dame Sarah Storey (track and road cycling)
Laura Trott (track cycling)
Vitality Team of the Year
Celebrating the achievements of Britain’s successful collective efforts
4x100m athletics relay squad
GB hockey team
Manchester City women FC
Rowers Helen Glover & Heather Stanning
Team pursuit cycling squad
Olympian of the Year
The outstanding performance from the Rio Olympic Games
Nicola Adams (boxing)
Saskia Clark & Hannah Mills (sailing)
Charlotte Dujardin (equestrian)
Helen Glover & Heather Stanning (rowing)
Jade Jones (taekwondo)
Laura Trott (track cycling)
Paralympian of the Year
The outstanding performance from the Rio Paralympic Games
Natasha Baker (equestrianism)
Kadeena Cox (athletics & track/road cycling)
Sophie Christiansen (equestrianism)
Hannah Cockroft (athletics)
Bethany Firth (swimming)
Dame Sarah Storey (track & road cycling)
Young Sportswoman of the Year
Nominees must have been 21 or younger on January 1, 2016
Catie Munnings (motorsport)
Siobhan-Marie O’Connor (swimming)
Ellie Robinson (swimming)
Amy Tinkler (artistic gymnastics)
Community Award
For individuals who have actively engaged with different groups of people within their community through sport
June Adams (head coach, Ecco gymnastics club, Sheffield)
Kirsty Cameron (founder, Ladies Leisurely Cycles Facebook group)
Sue Robertson (founder, Disabled Golf Association)
Lauren Gregory and Rebecca Chumun (volunteers, Run Like A Girl group)
To vote for your favourite Community candidate, please visit: sportswomenoftheyear.co.uk
Winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration will be announced on the evening.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Vitality: Henry Robson - 07958 778 244 - henry.robson@essentiallygroup.com
The Sunday Times: Emily Bayliss – emily.bayliss@news.co.uk
Notes to editors
About The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards 2016 in association with Vitality
The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards 2016 in association with Vitality are among the most prestigious and influential in the British sporting calendar. The previous winners of the main award, the coveted Sportswoman of the Year accolade, are:
1988 Olive Jones
1989 Kim Thomas
1990 Denise Smith
1991 Sally Gunnell
1992 Tanni Grey-Thompson
1993 Sally Gunnell
1994 Denise Lewis
1995 Lynn Simpson
1996 Laura Davies
1997 Alison Nicholas
1998 Denise Lewis
1999 Paula Radcliffe
2000 Denise Lewis
2001 Ellen MacArthur
2002 Paula Radcliffe
2003 Pippa Funnell
2004 Dame Kelly Holmes
2005 Zara Phillips
2006 No award
2007 Victoria Pendleton
2008 Nicole Cooke
2009 Chrissie Wellington
2010 Maggie Alphonsi
2011 Sarah Stevenson
2012 Jessica Ennis-Hill
2013 Christine Ohuruogu
2014 Charlotte Dujardin
2015 Jessica Ennis-Hill
About Vitality – changing health and life insurance for good
Vitality is the insurance business that helps people understand how they can improve their own personal health. Vitality makes it cheaper and easier for its members to get healthy and gives them rewards to keep them motivated, through a range of discounts and incentives.
Vitality believes in the power of sport to help inspire people to live a healthy life, which is why it partners with leading sports figures, teams and events to help share the Vitality message.
Vitality Ambassadors Jessica Ennis-Hill, Jonny Wilkinson, Joe Root and Maro Itoje are role models who embody the values of Vitality. They are all using their passion for living a healthy lifestyle to motivate others to make positive changes. Taking small steps today can dramatically improve wellbeing over the long-term, regardless of your current state of health.
Vitality is Official Wellness Partner of Arsenal FC, AFC Bournemouth, Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC, England Rugby, Scottish Rugby, Welsh Rugby, Cricket’s UK Test Match Grounds and England Netball. The business has also partnered with the RSPCA for Big Walkies, is title sponsor of the Vitality Run Series and Official Partner of The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards in association with Vitality.
VitalityHealth is one of the UK’s leading private medical insurers and has pioneered the ‘shared-value’ insurance model. This is a unique approach which delivers value for Vitality members through rewards and ultimately better health. Society as a whole also benefits, as do the company’s profits, which comes about as a result of people being healthier and claiming less often.
VitalityLife is one of the fastest growing life insurers in the UK. It is unique to the current UK protection market and its suite of products includes Life Cover, Income Protection Cover, Serious Illness Cover, Business Protection and other additional products. By recognising people's efforts to look after themselves, VitalityLife is able to offer a more comprehensive set of benefits than traditional providers at a very competitive price.
For more information visit www.vitality.co.uk
About News UK
News UK is home to some of the biggest and most popular British newspapers. The Times and The Sunday Times are the world’s best-known quality newspapers, and The Sun remains the most read British newspaper with more than 11 million readers per week. While our papers have individual identities that reflect their different heritage, all look to break the most important stories, inform our readers, champion them and the causes closest to their hearts, and help them make sense of the modern world. Our titles have a weekly print reach of approximately 10.5 million readers, and represent around 32.5% of UK circulation of national dailies. Employing around 2,600 in operations spanning journalism, printing, distribution and back-office support across the UK, the direct and indirect contributions made by News UK businesses to UK GDP are considerable.
For more information, please visit www.news.co.uk or follow us on Twitter @NewsUK