Boxer Linda Desmond wins prestigious Echo Sportswoman of the Year award

THERE was a star-studded gathering in The Metropole Hotel last night for The Echo Women in Sport Awards when Linda Desmond was announced as Sportswoman of the Year.

The Rylane Boxing Club star became the first Cork woman to win both senior and elite national boxing titles in the same season and was chosen for the overall award from an impressive list of monthly winners.

Those winners were honoured at the ceremony, as were Hall of Fame inductee Marian Crowley and Outstanding Achievement Award winner Aideen Mullins.

“Tonight is a night to celebrate all that is best in sport,” The Echo editor Gráinne McGuinness told the audience.

She added: “Here at The Echo, we have always shared that love and worked to bring the stories of Cork sporting prowess to our readers.”

Activist and sports journalist Joanne O’Riordan was the keynote speaker.

Ms O’Riordan praised The Echo for its extensive and ground-breaking coverage of women’s sports.

“Traditional styles of broadcasting media and broadcasting don’t really seem to be the answer to crest engagement for everyone.

“Which is why it is really good for the likes of The Echo using digital and podcasts to support their sports coverage,” she said.

However, she said if that is all the coverage they will ever get, “women’s sport will stay stuck exactly where it is”.

“Nine times out of 10, the coverage of women’s sports is probably because of a controversy. A strike, no pitches, no boots, no expenses — all of which are incredibly important, but they should not be the main story,” she said.

“The problem, in my opinion, is that women’s sport is treated like a charity. The mindset is so embedded into us, that we don’t even realise we are doing it,” said Ms O’Riordan.

“Women’s sports needs to be talked about like it is exciting, like it is fun, and like it is dramatic.

“That’s what sport is, it is about hype, it is not about guilt.”

The Echo sports editor John McHale thanked the judging panel faced with the difficult task of choosing monthly and overall winners for the prestigious awards, now in their 18th year.