Johannesburg - Olympic 400m champion and world record holder Wayde Van Niekerk is in line to retain his South African Sports Star of the Year Award.
Van Niekerk is one three nominees for the country’s most coveted sports award by Minister of Sport and Recreation Fikile Mbalula. Also nominated in the category are Caster Semenya, gold medallist in the 800m from the Rio Olympics, as well as Proteas superstar Kagiso Rabada.
The trio are also nominated for the People’s Choice Sports Star of the Year, for which swimmer Chad Le Clos and rugby sevens star Seabelo Senatla are also in contention.
Voting for this award open on Monday and the public can SMS the keyword SPORTS followed by the athletes’ letter, A - Semenya, B - Le Clos, C - Rabada, D - Senatla, E - Van Niekerk to 33121.
Van Niekerk is also in line for the Sportsman of the Year and faces competition from Le Clos and Canoeist Hank McGregor, while Semenya is in line for the Sportswoman of the Year gong.
Dyan Buis is nominated along fellow Paralympians Charl du Toit and Reinhardt Hamman for the Sportsman of the Year with a Disability. “This was a very good year for me,” Buys said. “To win gold in record time and also silver in Rio was truly amazing. And it is now a great honour for me to be nominated for this award.”
The full list of nominees for the 2016 Sports Awards is:
Sport Star of the Year
Wayde van Niekerk
Caster Semenya
Kagiso Rabada
Sportswoman of the Year
Jenna Ward
Caster Semenya
Phumza Maweni
Sportsman of the Year
Wayde van Niekerk
Hank McGregor
Chad le Clos
People’s Choice Award
Chad le Clos
Wayde van Niekerk
Caster Semenya
Kagiso Rabada
Seabelo Senatla
Team of the Year
Rowing (men’s coxless pair)
Mamelodi Sundowns
Springboks
Coach of the Year
Pitso Mosimane
Anna Botha
Jean Verster
Suzanne Ferreira
Newcomer of the Year Award
Henri Schoeman
Brad Binder
Ntando Mahlangu
Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability
Zanele Situ
Anruné Liebenberg
Ilse Hayes
Sportsman of the Year with Disability
Charl du Toit
Dyan Buis
Reinhardt Hamman
Volunteer of the Year
Kim Pople
Carol Blignaut
Charles Villet
Photographer of the Year
Sydney Mahlangu
Christian Kotze
Reg Caldecott
Journalist of the Year
David van der Sandt
Thabiso Sithole
Kwena Moabelo
School Team of the Year
St Benedict’s - Rowing
La Rochelle Girls School - Athletics
Paarl Boys High School - Rugby
Recreation Body of the Year
Egoli Squash
Fight with Insight
Unogwaja
Indigenous Games Team of the Year
Limpopo Ilncuva
North West Khokho
KZN Kgatli Team
The Star