Isle of Man Sports Awards: Ceremony delayed because of Covid-19

The event had been due to take place at Villa Marina in Douglas on 25 March

The Isle of Man Sports Awards have been postponed by more than two months because of Covid-19 restrictions.

The event, which had been scheduled to take place on 25 March, will now be held on 2 June.

Sports Minister Alex Allinson said he hoped the rescheduled date would give "sports fans and those nominated something to look forward to".

The Isle of Man went into a circuit breaker lockdown on 3 March after a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases.

Restrictions had initially been due to be lifted on 24 March but are now expected to last longer, with a significant number of positive cases still being identified daily.

Athlete Christian Varley is in the running for Sportsman of the Year

Nominations for the awards’ 11 categories were unveiled last month, with athlete Christian Varley, who ran 19 marathons in 19 days to raise money for charity, in contention for Sportsman of the Year.

Equestrian Yasmin Ingham is up for Sportswoman of the Year once again after taking the accolade in 2020, alongside fellow previous winner swimmer Charlotte Atkinson.

In addition to the island’s biggest sporting names, the event is also set to highlight some of its unsung heroes behind the scenes.

The ceremony will take place at the Villa Marina in Douglas.

Last year's event had to be held virtually because of the island's first lockdown.