School sport awards back

THE revived Gauteng School Sport Awards will be held in Ekurhuleni tomorrow under the theme Celebrating Today's Stars, Tomorrow's Champions.

The awards have been reintroduced this year after they were last held in 2002. Moroka Swallows midfielder Lerato Chabangu was one of the winners at the last awards, and he went on to play for several PSL teams and is now also a key member of Bafana.

Another noteworthy recipient of the award is revered long and triple jump star Khotso Mokoena, who was honoured as Secondary Sports Boy of the Year in 2002. Mokoena made the country proud when he won silver at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in long jump among several other international achievements.

Sports MEC Lebogang Maile has endorsed the awards as an important mechanism to identify, recognise and honour developing talent, and to encourage youth at primary and secondary schools to participate in various sporting codes.

Tomorrow's function will be held at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, starting at 4pm.

Here are the finalists for the 2014 awards:

COACH OF THE YEAR

Rugby - Selwyn January (Orchards), Volleyball - Nkosilathi Moyo (Troyeville), Aaquatics - Tadhg Slattery (Hope)

TECHNICAL OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR

Athletics - Magriet Bothma (Roodepark), Netball - Susan Forsman (Garsfontein), Basketball - John Mkhabela (Isipho Sethu)

ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR

Vicky Magu, Capson Mangoele, Di Wolley

TEAM OF THE YEAR

Football CP Boys Under-19 (Selected Team GSSA - PD), Table Tennis Boys Under-18 (Selected Team Table Tennis) and Volleyball Boys Under-13 (Troyeville)

PRIMARY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR

Skeen, Troyeville and Wierdapark

LSEN SCHOOL OF THE YEAR

Ekurhuleni School for the Deaf, Hope School and Isipho Sethu Special School

SECONDARY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR

Kempton Park, Prestige College and Rosina Sedibane

CODE OF THE YEAR

Chess, Netball and Volleyball

PRIMARY SCHOOL MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Chess - Marthinus Prinsloo (Wierdapark), Basketball - Koketso Kekana (Skeen) and Volleyball - Dalane Dube (Troyeville)

PRIMARY SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Football - Mpho Seabi (Diodi), Chess - Elani Smith (Wierdapark) and Netball - Jamie-Leigh Venter (Roodekrans)

LSEN SCHOOL MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Athletics - Silas Daniels (Itireleng), Aquatics - Thulane Mabuza (Hope) and Basketball - Onkarabile Pheko (Hope)

LSEN SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Athletics - Mary Dzimba (Isipho Sethu),

Football - Lethukuthula Nkosi (Ekurhuleni School for the Deaf) and Football - Kedibone Mateya (Kwa-Thema)

SECONDARY SCHOOL MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Athletics - Creel Chavalala (Lenz Public), Aquatics - Ryan Coetzee (Afrikaans Seuns) and Football - Phakamani Mahlambi (School of Excellence)

SECONDARY SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Netball - Lauren Bothma (St Dunstans College), Athletics - Tebogo Mamathu (Monument) and Chess - Tshepang Tlale (Prestige College).