Bovell takes FCB Sports Award

SWIMMER George Bovell pipped embattled West Indies batting star Brian Lara for the prestigious 2004 First Citizens Bank (FCB) Sports Personality of the Year Award last night. The 20-year-old swimmer, who attends Auburn University in the United States, was not present at last night’s gala function held at Queen’s Hall in Port-of-Spain. Instead, he was represented by his father George Bovell II who collected the new gold, silver and bronze emblem from President of the Republic George Maxwell Richards. Bovell shocked the world when he placed third in the 200-metres Individual Medley at the Athens Olympics. Only 20 years old, Bovell was the first swimmer from the English-speaking Caribbean to medal at the quadrennial Games. He also established a world short course record competing for his university at the NCAA championship in New York in March.

He shot into the international spotlight with victories in the highly regarded World Cup series last year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His selection, for the first time, is something of an upset which prevented Lara from taking the honour for a record sixth time, the same as quadruple Olympic sprint medallist Ato Boldon. Lara was the sentimental favourite as he is now at the centre of a raging controversy between his sponsors Cable and Wireless, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and Digicel, new benefactors of the regional cricket team. Only on Saturday, Lara declined an invitation to join the 22-man squad from which the Test team to face South Africa was selected for the South African team’s upcoming tour of  the Caribbean which starts next week. He was among seven players initially deemed ineligible for consideration because of personal endorsement contracts with Cable and Wireless, the main competitors of Digicel who have signed a US$20 million deal with the West Indies Cricket Board.

The gala ceremony was co-hosted by Boldon and sports consultant Anthony Harford. Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Roger Boynes gave the feature address to the distinguished gathering. Lara holds two world records — for highest scores in Test (400 not out) and First Class (501 not out) cricket. The women’s equivalent, as expected, went to hammer thrower Candice Scott who last year became the first Caribbean athlete to qualify for the finals in her event at the Athens Olympic Games. Lara was nominated based on his batting performance last April against England when he regained the record for the highest Test score, surpassing Australian Matthew Hayden’s 380 set a year earlier. Lara first captured the Test batting record in 1994, on the same Antigua Recreation Ground when he made 375, coincidentally against England, to erase the mark, 365, held by fellow West Indian Gary Sobers.

The only other serious contender for the men’s award was golfer Stephen Ames, who is based in Canada and last year won his first PGA tournament, the Cialis Open. Ames is currently ranked in the world’s top 20 and finished last year among the top ten money earners on the American golf circuit. There were 45 nominees from 27 disciplines up for last night’s award which was being hosted for the first time by FCB. For the previous 40 years the awards were sponsored by the West Indian Tobacco Company Ltd (WITCO) which gave up the function under pressure from anti-smoking lobbyists locally and internationally. The judges for the FCB awards were: Terry Young Sing, chairperson of the FCB Sports foundation; Annette Knox, Alexander Chap-man, Hayden Newallo, David Daniel, Catherine Forde, Andy Ganteaume, Sedley Joseph, Dave Lamy, Edwin Skinner, Wayne Smart, Heidi Bason and Jennifer Lander.