BEDSA 2019 WINNERS

Raheem Sterling and Ama Agbeze celebrate a triumphant night at the Sporting Equals British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards 2019

Raheem Sterling and Ama Agbeze were the big winners at the glittering award hosted by Nish Kumar, at Hilton London Heathrow, Terminal 5 on Saturday 6th April. 

Raheem Sterling was named The City Livery Club Sportsman of the Year at the coveted Sporting Equals BEDSAs. 2018 was an exceptional year for Raheem after scoring 23 goals in all competitions for Manchester City, winning the Premier League title and the English League Cup. Raheem Sterling has begun to mature into a truly world-class talent under the guidance of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Raheem was also selected as part of England World Cup Squad achieving a semi-final finish.

Raheem has started 2018-19 Premier League season, starring for Manchester City proving to be one of the best players in the premier league, as well as playing for England scoring twice in a UEFA Nations League group game against Spain on 15 October 2018.

A true role model, Raheem Sterling has spoken out against of the media of helping to “fuel racism” with their portrayal of young black footballers after he was the victim of alleged racist abuse during this season. This was considered a brave step and has contributed to further discussion in combating racism and representation of Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) sports people in the UK.

Commenting on his first win at the BEDSAs Raheem Sterling said: "I just want to say thank you for the award it's a massive honour, Sporting Equals are doing some amazing work...so it's a massive honour to be associated with them”.

Ama Agbeze who also picked up her first BEDSA award, winning The Royal Navy Sportswoman of the Year award, captaining the England Netball Team to a historic Gold at Commonwealth Games 2018. Having played in Australia, New Zealand and England, and across five positions on the court'. The experienced defender currently plays for the Vitality Netball Superleague team London Pulse,

In a big night for football, Brendon Batson OBE was awarded the Sporting Equals Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to football and race equality. Batson was part of 'The Three Degrees' alongside the Cyrille Regis and Laurie Cunningham, who are no longer with us, who were seen as icons of black participation in football and helped break down barriers when racism was rife in the game. Batson represented Arsenal and made over 300 appearances for Cambridge and West Brom.

Arun Kang CEO Sporting Equals and Founder of The BEDSAs commenting on a wonderful evening said: “The Sporting Equals BEDSA awards never disappoint celebrating the outstanding work of volunteers and communities to the achievements of World class performers like Raheem Sterling and Ama Agbeze. Sporting Equals as a national charity, has ensured these awards are key date in the sporting calendar and important in terms of not only showcasing the excellent work and talent among diverse communities but also highlighting that there is much work still to do to tackle inequalities and under-representation in some areas of sport”

The night was also a memorable one for the World Record Breaking Paralympic athlete Kare Adenegan winning Youth Sport Trust Young Sports Person of the Year Award. Ranvir Singh picked up UK Sport Inspirational Performance, known as the 2-time British Junior Champion and current British Senior Champion.

The complete list of winners at the 2019 BEDSAs was as follows:

Youth Sport Trust Young Sportsperson of the Year - Kare Adenegan

The British Army Unsung Champion - Harmander Singh

England Athletics Coach of the Year - Haj Bhania

UK Sport Inspirational Performance of the Year - Ranvir Singh

Sport England Community Sports Project of the Year -  GirlDreamer: Boarders without Borders

Spirit of 2012 Connecting Communities Award -  Unity Gym

The LTA Community Project of the Year - British Muslim Heritage Centre

England Wales Cricket Board Special Recognition Award  - National Asian Cricket Council  

The Royal Navy Sports Woman of the Year Award - Ama Agbeze

The City Livery Club Sportsman of the Year Award - Raheem Sterling

The FA Special Recognition Award - Kulwinder Singh Johal

Sporting Equals Lifetime Achievement Award - Brendon Batson OBE

Sky Media Leadership in Sport Award - Nigel Walker

The BEDSAs is supported by Sport England, UK Sport, The Football Association, The City Livery Club, LTA Tennis for Britain, Youth Sport Trust, England Athletics, The England and Wales Cricket Board, The Royal Navy, Sky Media, The British Army, and Spirit of 2012.

 

For all media enquiries, please contact:

Umar Ahmed, Sporting Equals PR and Communications Advisor

uahmed@sportingequals.org.uk  07920 759 770