Raekwon Baptise, a 15-year-old artistic gymnast from Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, has been named OCS Young Sportsperson 2017.
The sporting achievements of eight regional award winners were celebrated at a star-studded awards ceremony at held at City Hall in London on 16th November 2017. The event was hosted by BBC Sport commentator and former international gymnast Gabby Logan, and was supported by a host of sporting celebrities who gave their time to present awards to the next generation of athletes, including Dame Mary Peters, Rory Underwood MBE, Jamie Baulch, Sharron Davies MBE, Iwan Thomas MBE and Natasha Baker MBE.
The overall winner was decided by online votes from OCS staff and clients combined with the audience vote on the night.
Since the awards began in 1998, OCS has given bursaries to over 300 deserving young athletes. The awards, which are run in partnership with SportsAid, give promising young athletes recognition and support to help them with the strain of training, travelling and competing. The independent recognition and financial assistance provided by OCS makes a huge difference at the start of the athletes’ journey when, often, parents and guardians are their only sponsors.
Many successful British athletes are past winners of the OCS Young Sportsperson Awards, and some have gone on to Olympic and international success, including Louis Smith MBE, Beth Tweddle MBE, Alice Tai MBE and Polly Maton.
Peter Slator, CEO of OCS Group said: “Through the OCS Young Sportsperson Awards we take the opportunity to celebrate with clients and colleagues the fantastic achievements of our future sports stars. It is often this recognition and encouragement, as much as the financial support, that helps give young athletes the confidence and determination to strive to the next level.”
