WHAT an absolute pleasure it was to see Sammi Kinghorm lift the top award, The Lonsdale Trophy, at this year’s Team Scotland awards dinner on Thursday night at the EICC in Edinburgh. It was just last year that Sammi won Title IX Role Model of the Year at the Scottish Women in Sport awards and I am delighted that she is now taking top spot!

Talk about achievement, Sammi is a record breaker becoming the first para athlete in its 15 year history to be presented as the Scottish Sportsperson of the Year.

The reason for this is pretty clear, just look at her record for this year alone. On track for selection for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast in 2018, this year Sammi broke her own world record to take gold over 200m at the World Para-Athletics Championships in London, going on to take a second gold in the 100m and bronze in the 400m.

Since then her focus has turned to the road, coming second in her debut half marathon at the Great North Run, in a bid to gain selection for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the marathon as well as the T53/54 1500m on the track.

It was a pretty emotional moment for those in attendance, but more so for her family and coach Ian Mirfin, who has been a great support to Sammi in her athletic career. Scottish Athletics, who picked up National Governing Body of the Year are riding high on success at the moment, long may it continue.

Sammi was in impressive company as Judy Murray OBE lifted Team Scot of the Year in recognition of her relentless drive for equality in sport, whilst the Scottish FA Women’s National Team were hailed as Team of the Year for their impressive qualifying campaign which saw them represent Scotland for the first time at the EURO finals in Holland earlier this year.

Laura Muir, was female athlete of the year and Scottish Sports Futures, an organisation close to my heart were named as Games legacy winners for their Active East programme. It was a wonderful night, with a hall full of the notables in Scottish sport and business and a good night for women in sport.

ALL of the above winners must have at one time or another faced the issue about singing the national anthem.

This came to my mind whilst following the news from across the pond, as they have their own political debate raging at the moment as some athletes protest inequality by bending the knee while the anthem is played..

It got me thinking of how emotional it is for athletes, either before or after competing to have to sing their national anthem. If you feel passionately about your country and the anthem reinforces that, I can understand why it is difficult at times for athletes to sing – it’s so emotional.

I know myself that the build up to an important match hearing the crowd sing Flower of Scotland gets to me, am I alone in this? So let’s not make an issue of those who are too emotional to sing, let’s collectively sing it for them.

MORE work is going on behind the scenes to continue to bring to prominence the opportunities that are available to women and girls in sport and break down the barriers that prevent young girls either from getting into sport or leaving sport at an early age.

Next week, October 1-8, is the first Women and Girls Sport week for Scotland and the hope is that we can encourage more females of all ages to get involved in sport.

This initiative goes hand in hand with a new advisory board brought together by Aileen Campbell, Minister for Public Health and Sport and I am delighted to be included in this.

Pulling on expertise from across various sectors, not just sport but business as well, the hope is that diversity of members will enable us to find solutions to the age old problem of women and girls’ non-participation in sport. Together we will look at how we further develop and promote new ideas and approaches that will drive participation, transform perceptions, and develop the stars of the future.