Speyside games is heavyweight contender for Scottish title
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A TRADITIONAL Moray Highland Games is in the running for the title of Scotland's best sporting event.
Aberlour Strathspey Highland Games is one of three vying to be crowned Best Sporting Event at the 27th Scottish Thistle Awards, to be held on March 5 at Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
The other contenders for the title are rugby contest the Melrose Sevens and mountain running competition Ourea – Salomon Skyline Scotland.
The category celebrates recurring events which help to show off Scotland's greatest features.
Aberlour attracts around 5000 people to its Games each year. Judges were impressed that 60% of visitors come from overseas to see the Highland dancing, pipe bands and traditional heavy event competitions.
The Melrose Sevens is the oldest rugby competition in the world and attracts more than 10,000 visitors to Greenyards, the home of Rugby Sevens, every year. The event shines a light on Scotland’s rugby heritage.
And Ourea – Salomon Skyline Scotland is one of the world's top five mountain running events. The event is an annual set of four sky-running races on consecutive days which take in the landscape and terrain of the west Highlands. The race attracts more than 2000 entries globally.
The shortlist is intended to show the breadth and variety of top sporting events in Scotland and highlight their contribution to tourism.
VisitScotland director of events Paul Bush said: "Scotland is the perfect stage for events – from community focused to major international events.
"The Best Sporting Event category celebrates recurring events that are part of our ongoing tourism offering which include, inspire and involve all participants, whether local or visiting, and provide a platform for Scotland to show off its greatest features and engage communities."
The awards are led by VisitScotland and supported by a panel including Aberdeen City and Shire Tourism Awards, Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards, Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions, Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland, Scotland Food and Drink, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Licensed Trade Association, sportscotland and Wild Scotland.
The 77th Aberlour Strathspey Highland Games will take place at Alice Littler Memorial Park on August 1 next year, featuring running, heavyweights, tug o' war, light field events and Highland dancing.
