The South African Sport Awards is a Winning Nation programme, initiated in 2004 in partnership with South African Sport Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and a host of other generous stakeholders and sponsors.

The Sport Awards is held successfully since its inauguration in 2005 with the exception of 2009 and 2010 due to the 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP. During this period, the programme was halted and subsequently resuscitated and re-launched in 2011.

Guided by the core values of an athlete-centered and excellence-driven sports system, the Department aims to incentivize and applaud individual athletes, teams and administrators who continue to make our nation proud by displaying exceptional performance and attaining remarkable results

National Lottery
South African Broadcasting Cooperation (SABC)
Supersport
Various Provinces where event is held

Event takes place annually every November.

Nominations are made by National Federations, SRSA and SASCOC; Provincial Sports Council; Provincial Departments responsible for Sport and Recreation, Minister and Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation, the Media and the Public (on one category each) based on the criteria set by the nominations sub-committee and agreed to by the Steering Committee.

1. Sport Administrator of the Year
2. Sportsman of the Year
3. Sportsman of the Year with a Disability
4. Sportswoman of the Year
5. Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability
6. Team of the Year
7. Newcomer of the Year
8. Coach of the Year
9. Volunteer of the Year
10. Indigenous Games Team of the Year
11. National Federation of the Year
12. Recreation Body of the Year
13. Photographer of the Year
14. Journalist of the Year
15. Sports Star of the Year (Media involvement)
16. People’s Choice Sport Star of the Year – (Public involvement)
17. School Team of the Year
18. Developing School Team of the Year
19. Minister of Sport and Recreation’s Awards

• Excellence Award
• Steve Tshwete Lifetime Achiever Award

RSA rotates the Awards hosting among all the willing and able provinces. The province shall bid to host in terms of the SA Sports Awards Bidding Framework, which shall among others, identify the financial offerings that a host province has to provide before it can be approved as a host. The framework also includes bidding by corporate South Africa.

The Awards ceremony is to be held in one province for not more than three consecutive years. When corporate players bid, they will be required to choose the host venue in provinces that have not yet hosted; this to avoid one province monopolizing the hosting.

The recipients of awards for the following categories of: the past two years were :-

2015

2016

Every four years a special award (Shield of Jove) is given to the best male and female of the South African Team. The winners of The Rio 2016 Olympics Shield of Jove were awarded to Dyan Buys and Caster Semenya.