Women’s national team against Red Bull Salzburg
In addition to medals, titles, best times and sporting successes, it is in great demand in the local sports world – the NIKI, the trophy for the athletes of the year. “We know that this award enjoys a very high status because it is carried out by journalists who deal professionally with sports day in and day out. This year, 233 colleagues cast their votes,” said Sports Media Austria President Michael Schuen in the presentation of the best placed. “In order to increase the excitement before the LOTTERIEN Sporthilfe Gala, it has been a tradition for several years to announce the three candidates with the most votes from the more than 20 nominees in each category – in alphabetical order, of course. This gives you the opportunity to speculate about the outcome yourself. And this year, too, the lists show how difficult it is to make the ‘right’ choice in a sporting year like this. It is all the more clear that every winner deserves the NIKI.” Of course, the security of such a choice plays a major role. “Our colleagues chose Polyas using the online tool, which meets the highest security standards. So manipulations are practically impossible.”
The best placed in the categories selected by Sports Media Austria
(in alphabetical order name or team sport)
Sportswoman of the Year presented by Bridgestone
Anna Gasser (Snowboarding) | Sara Marita Kramer (ski jumping) | Sofia Polcanova (table tennis)
Sportsman of the Year presented by Hervis
David Alaba (football) | Mathias Maier (Alpine skiing) | Johannes Strolz (Alpine skiing)
Team of the Year presented by Volksbank
ÖFB national team women (football) | RB Salzburg (football) | ÖSV men’s ski jumping team (Stefan Kraft, Daniel Huber, Jan Hörl, Manuel Fettner)
Disabled Athlete of the Year presented by Mastercard
Veronica Aigner (Alpine skiing) | Carina Edler (cross-country skiing) | Catherine Neudolt (Badminton)
Athlete of the Year with Disabilities presented by Geberit
Johannes Aigner (Alpine skiing) | Thomas Fruehwirth (hand bike) | Markus Salcher (Alpine skiing)
Special Olympics Female Athlete of the Year presented by Coca-Cola
Cecilia Hoyos (equestrian sport) | Sieglinde Ruiter (bowls)| Roswitha Schwaiger (MATP – Motor Activity Training Program)
Special Olympics Athlete of the Year presented by Coca-Cola
James Richardson (Cycling) | Juergen Röjko (tennis) | Thomas Titzer (Athletics)
Glamorous gala in a sports-historical location
For the 26th time, Österreichische Sporthilfe is providing the glamorous setting for the LOTTERIEN Sporthilfe Gala to honor the best female athletes in this country. “We have arrived in Austria’s largest event hall with the LOTTERIEN Sporthilfe Gala,” says the Sporthilfe Managing Director Gernot Uhlir about the development of the most important fundraising event of Sporthilfe, “the connection of the Wiener Stadthalle to sport is undisputed, numerous historical sporting events take place and took place there. We are pleased to welcome 1,200 guests – a side note: for the first time, a seated dinner will be served in the large Hall D.”
Staging of Conchita’s “ESC victory choreographer”
Uhlir promises an unprecedented combination of sport and show. “The opener will fascinate many guests in the hall, but also the viewers in front of the TV sets. In doing so, sporting and artistic elements are interwoven.” The artistic director is responsible for the beginning of the show Marvin Dietman. The Viennese staged numerous performances at the Eurovision Song Contest – including that of Conchita Wurst 2014 – choreographed for Helene Fischer and is an international top man in his field. The opener will be accompanied musically by Austria’s ESC starter LUM!X. “We are very happy to have won Marvin Dietmann for the LOTTERIEN Sporthilfe Gala. Together with his ideas and the ingenuity and expertise of the rest of the creative team from “The Round Table” up to the ORF team Michael Koegler and Robert Waleczka this year’s LOTTERIEN Sporthilfe gala will set a new benchmark.” Mirjam Weichselbraun and Rainer Pariasek will once again lead the evening and the ORF live broadcast.
Special award to a superstar
A Special Award will be presented again this year. “This NIKI goes to sports icons who not only impress with their outstanding successes, but also with their personality. This year we can look forward to an award to an absolute superstar. Of course we can’t tell you more”, Michael Schuen and Gernot Uhlir don’t let themselves be looked at too closely.
Sport rocks the Stadthalle – a stage like Ed Sheeran
The stage design will also be completely new, as Uhlir reveals: “We have designed it to be concert-like, befitting the Stadthalle. A walkway leads from the main stage to a central stage in the audience where the awards ceremony will take place. The guests in the hall are also closer to the action than ever before.” Responsible for the set-up is mit Andrew Sladek an outspoken professional for whom work for stars such as Ed Sheeran or Imagine Dragons is part of his “daily business”.
Sports fans vote for the rising star of the year
“In addition to the sporting highlights, it’s the authentic emotions that captivate us as sports fans,” says Sporthilfe Managing Director Uhlir, “that’s why we dedicate parts of the gala to the most emotional moments in the past red-white-red sports year.” awarded a NIKI.
While the voting pages of Sports Media Austria members in the above categories are closed, Austria’s sports fans are invited to submit their votes by October 2nd Climber of the Year presented by Wüstenrot to choose. Nominated are tennis ace Filip MisolicAlpine skiing whiz kid Johannes Strolz and golfers Sepp Straka. There is an opportunity to vote extra.orf.at.
Also when choosing in the category Sportsman with a heart presented by the Austrian Lotteries the local sports fans were called upon to choose their favorites from 13 outstanding projects that were intensively supported and/or intended by athletes. This election has already been completed. Whoever receives the award and the associated 5,000 euros for the project will of course only be revealed on the stage of the LOTTERIEN Sporthilfe gala. The previous winners: 2021 Markus Lahmer, 2020 Nina Burger, 2019 Christoph Vetchy, 2018 Michael Strasser, 2017 Erich Artner, 2016 Peter Hackmair, 2015 Wilhelm Lilge, 2014 Mirna Jukic, 2013 Ulf Arlati
Coach of the year in cooperation with Sport Austria
Together with Sport Austria, the Austrian Sports Aid draws the LOTTERIEN Sporthilfe Gala Personal Trainer of the Year presented by IMMO contract out. With Rene Friedl (Tobogganing), ÖFB women’s team boss Irene Fuhrman and Albena Mladenova (Synchronized swimming) the expert jury from Sport Austria had three top coaches to choose from, whose protégés were able to celebrate great successes, some of them sporting history for Austria.
Overall, winners are honored in 12 categories
• Team of the Year presented by Volksbank
• Sportswoman of the Year presented by Bridgestone
• Female Disabled Athlete of the Year presented by Mastercard
• Sportsman of the Year presented by Hervis
• Athletes of the Year with disabilities presented by Geberit
• Special Olympics Female Athlete of the Year presented by Coca-Cola
• Special Olympics Athlete of the Year presented by Coca-Cola
• Newcomers: in of the year presented by Wüstenrot
• Coach of the year presented by IMMO contract
• Sportsman with a heart presented by the Austrian Lotteries
• Sport moment of the year presented by Lindt
• Special award presented by ELK
The most important successes of the best-placed in the election period
(October 2021 to September 2022)
Sportswoman of the Year
Anna Gasser (Snowboard): Olympic Gold Big Air, Second Freestyle World Cup
Sara Marita Kramer (ski jumping): overall World Cup winner
Sofia Polcanova (table tennis): EM gold singles and doubles, EM bronze mixed
Sportsman of the year
David Alaba (Football): Champions League winner and champion with Real Madrid
Matthias Mayer (Alpine skiing): Olympic gold Super-G, Olympic bronze downhill
Johannes Strolz (Alpine skiing): Olympic gold combination and mixed team parallel competition, Olympic silver slalom
team of the year
ÖFB national team women (football): EM quarterfinals
RB Salzburg (football/men): champions, cup winners, entry into the Champions League round of 16
ÖSV men’s ski jumping team (Stefan Kraft, Daniel Huber, Jan Hörl, Manuel Fettner): Olympic gold large hill
Disabled Athlete of the Year
Veronika Aigner (Alpine skiing): Paralympics gold slalom and RTL KI.B2
Carina Edlinger (cross-country skiing): Paralympic gold sprint and bronze 10km freestyle KI.B2
Katrin Neudolt (Badminton): Silver Deaflympics
Disabled Athlete of the Year
Johannes Aigner (Alpine skiing): Paralympic gold downhill and RTL, silver super combined and slalom, bronze super G; World Cup Gold Slalom and Parallel Slalom, World Cup Silver Super-G and RTL KI.B2
Thomas Frühwirth (handbike): World Champion Ironman, World Championship silver individual time trial and road, European Championship gold individual time trial, European Championship silver road class H5
Markus Salcher (Alpine skiing): Paralympic silver downhill and Super-G class standing LW9-1, World Championship gold downhill and Super-G
Special Olympics women
Cecily Hoyos (equestrian sport): 2x gold at the National Summer Games (dressage, working trail)
Sieglinde Ruiter (boccia): 2x gold at the National Summer Games (singles, doubles)
Roswitha Schwaiger (MATP): 2x gold at the National Summer Games (10-station competition, 15-meter walker run)
Special Olympics men
James Richardson (cycling): 2x gold at the National Summer Games (5km, 10km)
Jürgen Rojko (tennis): 2x gold at the National Summer Games (singles, doubles)
Thomas Titzer (athletics): 2x silver at the National Summer Games (25 meter run, volleyball throw)