The panel of ten judges who will face the difficult task of selecting the winners for the 2019 London Sport Awards has been announced today.
Nominations for the eight Awards categories are open until January 13, 2019 with the shortlisted nominees battling it out for the prestigious London Sport Awards, which will be presented at Twickenham Stadium in March.
The panel consists of ten judges drawn from across the world of physical activity and sport who are preparing to sit down at the home of English rugby on 31 January 2019, to discuss and debate the Award nominations and finalise the shortlists ahead of the capital’s biggest celebration of grassroots sport.
London Sport welcomes back three judges from the 2018 Awards which took place at Wembley Stadium earlier this year with, Susie Rodgers and Leon Mann joining Michelle Weltman, who returns for her fourth stint as a judging panel member.
Rodgers is a Paralympic swimmer who won three bronze medals at the 2012 Paralympic Games and a gold at the 2016 Paralympic Games, and now works for the British Paralympic Association, while broadcaster Mann founded the Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS) and co-founded The Football Blacklist, celebrating diversity in football. Weltman has been involved in sport development for over 25 years, with specialist expertise in disability and para sports..
Really looking forward to returning as a judge for the #LondonSportAwards 2019
There are so many great groups and individuals across the capital using sport to change lives. Let’s celebrate them 🙌🏽 https://t.co/INMCOayI2T
— Leon Mann (@Leon_Mann) November 21, 2018
They will be joined by former Essex cricketer Arfan Akram, the Assistant Director of Team London at the Mayor’s office Alice Wilcock, ukactive’s Jack Connors and Neville Graham from Haringey Council.
Kelvin Walker, Race Director of the Ealing Half Marathon, represents the London Sport board on the panel alongside the organisation’s Chief Executive, Tove Okunniwa with the RFU’s Rugby Development Director Steve Grainger completing the judging panel.
Attend the London Sport Awards, get your tickets here.
London Sport CEO Tove Okunniwa said:
“We’re delighted with the depth and breadth of our judging panel which brings together a huge amount of knowledge and experience from across physical activity and sport.
“Last year’s London Sport Awards showed the incredible impact that grassroots sport has on the lives of people across the capital, and I’m confident our judges will bring an experienced perspective to the selection process.
“The nominations we receive for the London Sport Awards are always of an incredibly high standard and I look forward to the difficult task of selecting our shortlists, alongside my esteemed fellow judges.”
Alice Wilcock, Assistant Director of Team London (volunteering) and Sport at the GLA, said:
“The London Sport Awards is always an inspiring evening. The Awards – across eight categories – give due recognition to the brilliant work being done throughout the city.
“As a judge I look forward to unearthing the people and projects that are harnessing the power of sport to achieve the Mayor’s ambition of making London the most active and socially-integrated city in the world.”
British Paralympic Association’s Susie Rodgers said:
“Having been involved the past two years in judging the Awards, I love reading about all the amazing volunteering and initiatives in physical activity and sport across the city.
“It is a great way to celebrate the importance of sport in connecting people.”
Full judging panel:
- Leon Mann – Founder, BCOMS and Co-Founder, Football Black List
- Arfan Akram – East London Cricket Coordinator, Essex County Cricket Club
- Jack Connors – Manager – ActiveLab Program, ukactive
- Michelle Weltman – Sports Development Consultant & Coach, London Marathon
- Susie Rodgers MBE – Communications Officer, British Paralympic Association
- Neville Graham – Leisure Client Contract Manager, Haringey Council
- Kelvin Walker – Director, Ealing Half Marathon, London Sport Board
- Alice Wilcock – Assistant Director – Team London, Mayor of London
- Tove Okunniwa – Chief Executive Officer, London Sport
- Steve Grainger MBE – Rugby Development Director, RFU
