IRISH JOURNALIST DAVID Walsh was named Journalist of the Year and Sports Journalist of the Year at the British Journalism Awards ceremony last night.
The Sunday Times reporter was given the honour for his coverage of the Lance Armstrong doping saga, with the athlete ultimately exposed as a drugs cheat, and being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles this year.
Following the announcement, a representative for the judges said:
“David Walsh became a pariah for years in his chosen sport in order to get to the truth of this story.
“He pursued it and pursued it.The US Anti-Doping Agency would never have taken Armstrong on if it hadn’t been for David Walsh.
“It was a fine example of great investigative journalism.”
The representative added: “This year will go down in history as one of the greatest ever for British sport.
“So the judges thought it was particularly fitting that the pre-eminent candidate for overall journalist of the year was a sports journalist.“David Walsh’s investigation into doping by Lance Armstrong was great news story, not just a great story, it was huge.
“His 13-year investigation was dogged, determined and brave. He could have lost everything but persisted against the odds.”
Walsh has now emulated the feat of his Sunday Times colleague Hugh McIlvanney, who had previously been the only sports reporter to be named both Journalist of the Year and Sports Journalist of the Year.
Fair play
A very decent gesture. Well done.
Great stuff Matt
Thats an outstanding gesture, practical, straight to the players and coaches at the coal face and no way that administrators can waste it (he says hopefully)
@Rochey77: yeah imagine the money went to Delaney instead, he’d have spent it on a ice sculpture of himself
Well done.
On a related note Robbie Keane needs to take note, as a multi millionaire he should step down from his FAI role and stop waiting around for a payout from our bankrupt soccer association which will ultimately mean funds go into his large bank account instead of grass roots football
@stoned.walled: totally agree – can you make any sense of giving him a 5 year assistant manager role when McCarthy was only on a 2.5 year contract ? Keane is holding out for the big payout and from reading media reports he seems to feel he is entitled to it as a “Irish footballing legend “……. he looks to join a list who have taken millions from FAI in termination settlements (MO’N – €4m apparently – Roy Keane €1M apparently. ) Now when FAI ask the Irish government for bailouts this becomes all of our business ….
@Fred Frederickson: Robbie Keane signed the deal he negotiated with the FAI and should be paid up. Robbie is a legend and has given everything in the green Jersey. Have some respect for the man. A deal is a deal. Just because the FAI are bad negotiatiors and incompetent
@padar: he is no longer a legend in my eyes.
Question who needs the money / will benefit more, Robbie Keane to piss away (as it’s buttons to him) or grass roots soccer (ie kids playing)
FairPlay, I’m aware of that course and the work they do with disadvantaged communities. Great gesture by Matt Doherty.
RoyKeane is all piss and wind should have had his Irish Passport taken away after the Saipan incident. I remember the Evening Herald running a front page fundraiser for Robbie Keane father to go and see him play in the U.18 Euro finals, Robbie has pocketed over €10M as his cut from transfers alone, so come on Robbie let’s see what your made of.
Soccer just reflects society – some give to their communities & some have a sense of entitlement & don’t give anything back. The latter usually give out about everything & everybody also
24 laptops, 24 GPS systems and a motion camera for 15k? Can you find out where he shops? Fair play to him.
Good man!