Following another outstanding season on the track, cyclist Chris Hoy was named Scottish Sportsperson of the Year and was awarded the Emirates Lonsdale Trophy for the fourth time in five years at the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland’s Sportsman’s Dinner in Glasgow this week in association with the Glasgow 2014 Bid.

The dinner held a special significance this year; coming just four weeks before Glasgow 2014 departs for Sri Lanka where the vote, on 9 November, will determine the host city of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Glasgow 2014 Bid Director, Derek Casey said: “Glasgow 2014 is absolutely delighted to be sponsoring the CGCS Sportsman Dinner.  Especially at this time, when there are only a few short weeks before Glasgow discovers if we have won the ultimate prize, the right to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

“The event is a celebration of sporting achievement across the last year, recognising and rewarding the tremendous effort, hard work and dedication of athletes throughout Scotland.  Competing in a Glasgow Games would be a huge incentive for our athletes.  Just imagine the exhilaration we would share as they step up to claim gold for Scotland on home soil in 2014. That is our goal.

“Our athletes are our inspiration for winning the Games for Scotland.  A Games that will encourage thousands more to excel and strive to be like Chris and the other athletes we are celebrating tonight.” 

Joining the Bid Team at the dinner were delegates from around the Commonwealth who will vote on the 9 November to determine the host city of the 2014 Games.  Olive Williams from St Helena, the Honorable Bappa Misau Alyiu from Nigeria and Joe Carlo from Vanuatu enjoyed a taste of Scottish hospitality courtesy of Johnstone Pipe Band pipers. 

 
Later in the evening everyone experienced a flavour of Sri Lanka, with traditional music and dancing by Dance Ihayami. 

Announcing the award Louise Martin, Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland said: “We are privileged to have so many first class ambassadors for Scotland and Scottish sport. This has been another successful year for many of our athletes and Chris Hoy’s outstanding performances at this year’s World Championships certainly make him a worthy winner of the Emirates Lonsdale Trophy for the fourth time. I would also like to thank Glasgow 2014 for supporting tonight’s dinner. We are now embarking on the final stage of our journey to bring the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow in 2014 and this is a very exciting time for Scottish sport.”

The award is for performances between 1 July 2006 and 30 June 2007 and during this time Chris took gold in both the individual 1km Time Trial and the Kerin and silver in the Team Sprint at the 2007 World Track Championships. He also set a new World record for the 500m flying start of 24.758 seconds in Bolivia in May, more than a second quicker than the previous record set by Arnaud Duble.

This brings Chris’s major medal tally to: Olympic Games 1 gold and 1 silver; World Championships 7 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze; Commonwealth Games 2 gold and 2 bronze, as well multiple World Cup medals.

Chris said: “Thank you so much for this award. I feel that being nominated is an achievement in itself; the standard of Scottish sporting performances is rising all the time and I feel really proud to be a small part of it.  2008 is going to be a huge year with the Olympics taking place in Beijing. I'm confident that we can bring home more Olympic medals to Scotland than ever before, with real podium chances in a number of different sports. 

“However it's not just the athletes who have an exciting time ahead, as the Glasgow 2014 Bid Team, who have worked so hard to bring the Commonwealth Games back to Scotland, will soon find out if they have been successful. I truly believe that Glasgow's Bid is exceptional and that we will all be celebrating on the 9th November. I'm sure you all join me in wishing them the very best of luck. If we do get the nod, I might even be tempted to put my sporting retirement on hold, even though I'll be 38 in 2014!”

In second place was swimmer Kirsty Balfour who also had an outstanding 2006/07 season winning three gold and two silver medals at European Short and Long Course Championships and an outstanding silver medal in the 200m Breaststroke at the World Championships in Melbourne in March. Kirsty also broke the British record for 100m Breaststroke at the World Championships with a time of 1.07.67. She is the reigning British champion at 50m, 100m and 200m Breaststroke.

Taking third spot was gymnast Daniel Keatings who won a silver medal on the Pommel Horse and was 13th All-around at the Senior European Gymnastics Championships held in Amsterdam in April. This was Daniel’s first major competition for Great Britain as he is still a junior at the age of 17 and was the youngest member of the British team.
 
Sports personality Dougie Donnelly compared the evening, which included a short film on the Road to Sri Lanka, a sportsman’s quiz and a charity raffle raising money for the Commonwealth Games Youth Trust.

The Lonsdale Trophy was first introduced at the Commonwealth Sports Awards in 2003. The Lonsdale Trophy was originally a single solid silver trophy presented to the Commonwealth Games Federation.  This was later melted down with replicas presented to each of the six countries including Scotland that attended the first two Games in 1930 and 1934. In 2003 the Commonwealth Games Council proposed that Scottish sportspeople were recognised for their achievements and it was agreed to annually present the Lonsdale Trophy to the Scottish Sportsperson of the Year in a Commonwealth Games Sport.