HAVING been earlier this week named JAAA athletes of the year, Olympic gold medallists Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser- Pryce are expected to walk away with the 2012 RJR Sports Foundation Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel this evening, starting at 8:00.

The two athletes headline a list of seven male and six female nominees for the awards.

The other male nominees are Olympic 100m and 200m silver medallist Yohan Blake; 200m silver medallist Warren Weir; 110m hurdles bronze medallist Hansle Parchment; West Indies cricketers Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, and 2012 200m Diamond League champion, Nickel Ashmeade.

On the women’s side are 100m bronze medallist Veronica Campbell Brown; 400m Diamond League champion Kaliese Spencer; ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year Stafanie Taylor; Olympic 200m breaststroke finalist Alia Atkinson, and boxer Alicia Ashley, who recently completed the WBC Junior Featherweight title.

The selection panel, chaired by Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) president Mike Fennell, includes Olympian Grace Jackson; West Indies Players Association CEO Michael Hall; former West Indies cricketer Courtney Walsh; cricket writer Tony Becca; and journalist Courtney Sergeant.

The criteria for selecting the winner is based on performances at the Olympic Games or World Championships of any sport in a given year; the Commonwealth Games or Pan American Games; the Central American Games and the National Championships.

Meanwhile, five performances have been nominated for the People’s Choice Award, including Atkinson’s fourth-place effort at the Olympics; Andre Russell’s fielding in the West Indies’ game against England in the ICC T20 World Cup; Jermaine Hue’s assist in Dane Richards’ goal in a World Cup qualifying game against Antigua and Barbuda at the National Stadium; Marlon Samuels’ Man-of-the-Match performance in the T20 World Cup final, and Papine High’s Tiffany James for her victory in the Class 3 800m at Boys & Girls Championships this year.

Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president, Captain Horace Burrell, veteran coach Glen Mills, and hockey administrator Kathleen Kay Wilson have been nominated for the Sagicor Iconic Award.

One new award — the ISSA Schoolboy and Schoolgirl Award — will also be presented.

Legendary West Indies cricketer Michael Holding, popularly regarded as the “Rolls Royce of fastbowling” during his heyday, will be the

guest speaker at the function.