March 8 – Duncan Mackay (pictured), the editor of insideworldfootball, has tonight been voted the Internet Writer of the Year at the annual British Sports Journalists’ Association (SJA) Awards dinner in London.
Mackay is also editor of the highly successful insidethegames and insideworldparasport web sites.
It was further recognition for insidethegames which, since it was set up by Mackay and his late wife Lorraine in October 2005, has established itself as the number one site in the world for news on the Olympic Movement and other major multi-sport events.
The judges citation commended Mackay for his ability to get to the major names in world sport and produce a series of breaking news stories.
Mackay said: ”I am thrilled that insidethegames has been recognised at the most prestigious awards ceremony in British sports journalism.
“All the other major awards went to writers on national newspapers or the BBC so this is tremendous honour for the website.
“I am proud that the quality of our outstanding product is increasingly being recognised around the world and is being read by more and more people on a daily basis.”
Among the first to congratulate Mackay on his award were Paul Deighton, the chief executive of London 2012, John Steele, the chief executive of UK Sport, and Simon Clegg, the former chief executive of the British Olympic Association who now has a similar role at Ipswich Town.
But Mackay insisted that the award – which he won jointly with Kevin Eason of The Times - was really for the whole team at insidethegames.
He said: ”I may have been one the lucky one chosen to go up to collect the award but really I think it is a reward for everyone connected with the website, including our brilliant writers David Owen, Mike Rowbottom and Tom Degun.
“I must also pay tribute to Sarah Bowron, insidethegames commercial director, whose tireless work and enthusiasm and never-wavering support allows me to concentrate on writing and producing insidethegames.
“There are also other people in the background – like Louisa Gummer, our social networking manager, Jim Kane, our technical guru, and Lilian Shields, our PA – who also ensure that everything goes smoothly and without whom insidethegames would not be able to function.”
It is not the first occasion that the SJA have recognised Mackay’s ability.
In 2004, when he worked for The Guardian, he was voted the Sports Writer of the Year for his outstanding coverage of the Athens Olympics and for a series of ground-breaking exclusive stories on drugs in sport.
That award tonight went to Michael Atherton, the former England cricket captain who now writes for The Times.