The finalists for the 2015/16 Gauteng School Sport Awards were announced earlier today at a media event held at the Gauteng Sports Confederation in Johannesburg.

The 42 names will vie for top honours in various categories across primary and secondary schools including special needs schools. Categories include the Best Sporting Code; School of the Year; Male and Female Athlete of the Year; Coach of the Year; and Administrator of the Year among others. Winners including the lifetime award recipient will be announced at a spectacular ceremony on 4 March, 2016 at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre.

This year’s awards are held under the theme ‘Celebrating Today’s Stars, Tomorrow’s Champions’.

According to Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Ms Faith Mazibuko; “Today’s announcement provides a reflection of the talent nurtured through the involvement of government in sports development. The awards are not only about celebrating the past achievements but mainly about instilling excellence in the young ones for the future”.

“In yet another successful year for Gauteng school sports, which saw the province retaining the National School Championship title for the 4^th year running, the competition is indeed becoming tougher even for the adjudicators. As the department we can only get excited because it has meant we are on the right path to produce top sporting talent for the country”, says MEC Mazibuko.

Previous nominees such as Troyville Primary and Prestige College are among this year’s finalists in various categories including code of the year, team of the year, female/ male athlete of the year.

GSC president Barry Hendricks said that difficulty in selecting the finalists indicated the depth of talent available in Gauteng. “These young athletes are the cream of the crop in the province and we believe they have wonderful careers ahead in sport. They should be extremely proud of their achievements here today.

Hendricks added: “Let us also not forget the teachers, volunteers and coaches who make these performances possible. We at the GSC are extremely proud to be a part of this process and we believe that the future of sport in the province is very bright. While there is still much to be done to increase participation levels were know that the quality of these finalists indicate that we are on the right track.”

The 2015/16 Gauteng School Sports Awards are sponsored by Nedbank and ABI.

Below is a list of finalists who have made the cut: