Leading figures in women’s sport gather at Sky Studios on Wednesday night for the prestigious 2014 Sportswomen of the Year Awards and Sky Sports will be screening live coverage of the ceremony for a second consecutive year.
Now in their 27th year, the Sportswomen Awards, sponsored by the Sunday Times and Sky Sports, celebrate the outstanding contribution to sport made by elite performers, coaches, administrators, community volunteers and inspirational female figures.
On the evening of Wednesday, November 19, the ceremony will be broadcast live on Sky Sports 1 in a primetime slot for the second successive year, following its long-awaited television debut in 2013.
Previous winners of the main award, the coveted Sportswoman of the Year accolade, include a plethora of British sporting legends, including Paula Radcliffe, Sally Gunnell, Denise Lewis, Dame Kelly Holmes, Zara Phillips, Victoria Pendleton and Jessica Ennis-Hill.
Christine Ohuruogu, who won the 400m title at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Moscow in the summer of 2013, was crowned the overall winner last December
The six nominees for this year’s Sportswoman of the Year prize include Charlotte Dujardin, who won gold at this summer’s World Equestrian Games in France, 2014 Commonwealth swimming gold medallist Fran Halsall, and Laura Massaro, who won two squash silver medals in Glasgow during the Games.
The incredible Jo Pavey, who became the oldest woman ever to claim gold at a European Championships when she won a thrilling 10,000m, is one of the favourites for the main award, as is Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold and cyclist Joanna Rowsell, who won two gold medals at the track world championships, which she later followed up with Commonwealth gold in Glasgow.
A four-team shortlist has also been drawn up to celebrate the achievements of Britain’s successful collective efforts and Sky Sports viewers were given the chance to vote for their 2014 women’s sports Team of the Year.
These including England’s Ashes-winning cricket team and the triumphant World Cup rugby union team, as well as Great Britain’s 4 x 100m athletics relay squad, who became European champions in the summer, and rowers Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, who blitzed the coxless pairs field at the World Championship in Amsterdam.
In addition, the awards will pay tribute to a Young Sportswoman of the Year and Disability Sportswoman of the Year, plus there is special award to honour those who have helped to contribute women’s sport in the community.
Winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration will also be announced on what promises to be a special evening.
Alongside backing from The Sunday Times and Sky Sports, the Sportswomen of the Year Awards are also supported by UK Sport, Sport England and the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, with various dignitaries and guests from these organisations in attendance on the night.
The sporting world comes together to celebrate the achievements of sportswomen over the past 12 months and fans will be able to watch the entire Sportswomen of the Year Awards live on Sky Sports.
Live coverage of the ceremony starts on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD at 8.00pm on Wednesday, November 19, which will be presented by Sarah-Jane Mee at Sky Studios, alongside Jane Dougall and Tom White.
As well as the live two-hour show on awards night, Sky Sports will preview the event in a special edition of Sportswomen hosted by Jane Dougall on Tuesday at 11.30am on Sky Sports News HQ, with further repeats later in the day on Sky Sports.
In addition, Sky Sports 1 will dedicate its entire Wednesday schedules to women’s sport, featuring highlights of England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup triumph, special editions of Sporting Heroes featuring the likes of Laura Davies and Rebecca Adlington, as well as clips from the best interviews and features from Sky Sports’ weekly Sportswomen show.
Sky Sports strengthened its coverage of women’s sport last autumn when it signed a new three-year deal with England Netball to continue coverage of the Netball Superleague and all home England international fixtures.
This was coupled by the launch of a new regularly weekly half-hour programme dedicated to women’s sport – Sportswomen – which is now into its second series on Sky Sports News HQ.
Sportswomen covers all of the latest news, views and analysis and feature interviews with athletes and respected figures from the world of women’s sport.
Subscribers can watch coverage of the ceremony live online and mobile/tablet devices on Sky Go, the Sky Sports Sportswomen website – skysports.com/sportswomen – will also have extra features, interviews and video clips from the ceremony.
.
Tuesday 18th November
Sportswomen: 2014 Awards Preview
LIVE: 11.30am-12.00pm Sky Sports News HQ
.
Wednesday 19th November
Sportswomen of the Year Award 2014
LIVE: 8.00pm-10.00pm Sky Sports 1
.
.