Reporter and video journalist Zac Bailey has gained a significant sports activities award and created a bit of historical past by doing so.
The tv presenter, who joined NRL.com in 2017, has tied with ABC-Fox Sports activities commentator Kelli Underwood in successful ‘Finest Sporting Protection by an Particular person – Video’ for 2020 as a part of the annual Sport Australia awards.
Whereas different prestigious awards just like the NRL’s Dally M and AFL’s Brownlow Medals have loved joint winners up to now, that is the primary time within the two-decade historical past of the Sport Australia awards that two finalists have gained the identical gong.
Bailey and Underwood had been amongst 4 finalists named for his or her class final December for work accomplished between October 18, 2019, and October 30, 2020. The prime quality of their submissions meant the 4 judges couldn’t break up them.
The Sport Australia media awards have been working since 2002 and recognise excellence in Australian sports activities journalism, broadcasting, manufacturing and pictures.
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There have been greater than 330 entries submitted over the 12 classes. Given the distinctive challenges of 2020 with COVID-19, Sport Australia additionally launched a brand new award ‘Innovation in Sports activities Media’ to acknowledge the vital position media performs in bringing extra gamers and audiences to sport.
Judges had been searching for influence, information worth, analysis, originality, writing and technical excellence, in addition to public profit, in deciding the 2020 winners.
Bailey’s work revealed points and tales which had not been advised earlier than, together with the sexual abuse suffered by former NRL referee Gavin Badger as a youth and the racial taunts former Check participant Steve Renouf was subjected to on the Brisbane Broncos.
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From the fallout of Bailey’s interview with Renouf, the Broncos issued an apology to him final 12 months – greater than 20 years after he retired in 1999.
Underwood hosts the incisive sports activities program ‘Offsiders’ every Sunday morning on ABC-TV and is an everyday tv/radio commentator specialising in Australian Guidelines, netball and tennis.
Bailey’s Sport Australia award is the third achieved by NRL.com. Former chief reporter Michael Chammas gained ‘Finest Particular person Sport Protection – Digital’ in 2018, whereas weekly columnist Mary Konstantopoulos gained the identical class in 2019 for her work on varied sport web sites, podcasts and radio packages.
Because of COVID-19, the 2020 Sport Australia media awards had been held on-line this week with organisers cancelling the standard gala dinner.
Sport Australia is a part of the Australian Sports activities Fee, which is the federal authorities company chargeable for funding and investing in sport.
