UNSW Sport’s night of nights is upon us

One of basketball’s all time greats, Shaquille O’Neill once said “Excellence is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you do repeatedly.” It is something that rings true not only for sport, but for university life. For the student athletes at UNSW, excellence must become habitual across both their sport and their studies.

The 2019 Blues Awards and Sports Dinner will celebrate those who have enacted this motto best. From the Academic Excellence Award, which is awarded to an elite athlete who has also excelled in their studies, through to the pinnacle awards of the night – the Blues – the ceremony will commend those for whom excellence has become a habit.

The awarding of Blues for university sport dates back to 19th century sporting contests between Oxford and Cambridge. At the first Boat Race in 1829, the Oxford crew wore dark blue uniforms. 

Years later when the second race was completed, a light blue ribbon was attached to the front of the Cambridge boat, as it was the colour of one of the colleges represented in the crew. As such, blue started to become associated with university sport and as the Boat Race gained wider renown, the image began to spread.

After a time, Blues started to be awarded to high achieving student athletes at both universities and the practice soon spread. It is now most common in Australia, where the majority of universities award sporting Blues each year.

At this year’s ceremony, Blues are being awarded 11 outstanding student athletes. They represent a diverse sporting field, hailing from volleyball, water polo, athletics, hockey, cricket, sailing, rugby and AFL.

The evening will also feature a panel discussion between Wallabies and Waratahs representative Ned Hanigan, Olympic Water Polo player Lea Yanitsas and Hobart Hurricanes cricketer Georgia Redmayne.

The event will be hosted by leading sports presenter Stephanie Brantz and will be a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the year in sport at UNSW.