Debuting in 1980, the prestigious Jack Cheetham and Letsema Awards will mark it’s 34th successful instalment this year, initiated and facilitated by Murray and Roberts and presented together with South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC). The call for nominations for both the Jack Cheetham and Letsema Awards are now open.
The awards are divided into two categories:
- The Jack Cheetham Award targets sports development projects for able-bodied individuals
- The Letsema Awards targets sports development projects for people with disabilities
Photo: William Mokgopo, Nicolene Mokgoko, Tennille Taylor and André Ross from the Diepsloot Mountain Bike Academy, winners of the 2014 Jack Cheetham Award. // Photo: supplied.
To be eligible for nomination, organisations must demonstrate a valuable contribution to South African sports development and must be benefiting previously disadvantaged individuals. Nominations for all sporting disciplines will be considered, however preference will be given to those that are not attracting a high level of funding.
Last year, the Diepsloot Mountain Bike Academy (DMA) was nominated by Cycling SA and emerged the winner of the Jack Cheetham Award out of 30 nominees from various national sport federations in South Africa. Empowering the youth of the Diepsloot community through sports development programmes, the DMA also encourages social and community upliftment and aims to assist in the development of young athletes in order for them to be able to provide for their families. To find out more information about the DMA, click here: https://www.facebook.com/DiepslootMTBAcademy.
The 2014 Letsema Award went to the Free State Sports Association for the Physically Disabled and Visually Impaired (FSSAPD), established with the dream of helping children with disabilities to shine through a variety of sport. Some of the sports include swimming, athletics, Para-cycling, cerebral palsy soccer and goal ball, to name a few. The majority of the children from the FSSAPD come from underprivileged communities. They were identified through partnering schools specifically for learners with special needs. The association provides opportunity for participation in sports at national and international level for disabled athletes.
For more information about the FSSAPD, click here: http://fssapd.co.za/.
The closing date for the Jack Cheetham and Letsema Awards nominations is 31 July 2015. Click here to download the nomination form: http://www.cyclingsa.com/s/2015-Jack-Cheetham-Letsema-Awards_Nomination-Form-5xi4.pdf. Nominations need to be submitted to either awardsinfo@murrob.com or zandim@sascoc.co.za.
For more information about the Jack Cheetham and Letsema Awards, click here: http://www.cyclingsa.com/s/2015-Jack-Cheetham-Letsema-Awards_Call-for-Nominations.pdf
