News Releases

UWI Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year to Be Named at Inaugural Awards Event

For Release Upon Receipt - April 23, 2016

UWI


Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Saturday, April 23, 2016. The University of the West Indies is celebrating its student athletes with a newly established awards programme. Introduced by Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, these awards recognise student athletes’ exemplary performance in sports at the university level, as well as their integrity, volunteerism and commitment to other aspects of university life. The inaugural UWI Vice-Chancellor’s Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year Awards will be held on Wednesday 27 April, 2016 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Daaga Auditorium, UWI St Augustine Campus.

Male and female nominees representing these ideal UWI student athlete characteristics were selected from across The UWI’s four campuses. Nomination criteria included registration as a UWI student; a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0; being an active athlete in any of the sporting disciplines available on any of The UWI campuses and recognised as top performing in their sport as defined by local and international standards on the recommendation of their respective coaches. All nominees were screened by selection committees at the campus level, following which, two from each campus were further evaluated by a committee at the University level. On the evening of April 27, the Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year will be named. The event has been underwritten by RBC Trinidad and Tobago as part of its commitment to youth development in the region.

Vice-Chancellor Beckles described his vision for the awards: “Sports inspire, motivate and energise us all. These awardees represent the ideal UWI student athlete and the University has a responsibility to celebrate their discipline, talents and excellent performances. It is our hope that creating this opportunity will help pave the way to the University becoming more recognised regionally and internationally as a centre for sports excellence”.

At the ceremony, Vice-Chancellor Beckles will also honour athletes who have spotlighted the Caribbean region through their sporting accomplishments. Special awards will be presented to former UWI students Jason Holder, current captain of the West Indies Test and One day International (cricket) team and track and field athlete and Rio 2016 Olympic hopeful, Jehue Gordon.  Cricketers Deandra Dottin and Carlos Brathwaite who represented the West Indies during the recent Women's and Men’s World Cup T20 matches will also receive awards. Dottin is a player on The UWI Cave Hill Blackbirds cricket team, while Brathwaite is a current UWI student, also based at the Cave Hill Campus.

This event is free and open to members of the public. Interested persons who wish to join in celebrating the nominees and awardees are kindly asked to register via https://uwisportsawards.eventbrite.com

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About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a fully-fledged, regional University with over 50,000 students. Today, The UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with three physical Campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and an Open Campus. The UWI serves 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, The British Virgin Islands, The Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos. The UWI’s faculty and students come from more than 40 countries and The University has collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. The UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation.

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.) www.uwi.edu

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