RTÉ award choices sunk in a pit of confusion

Every December, that feeling draws in like a dark cloud – an outrage on behalf of a sportsperson you might not even know, a sense of injustice that their achievements have been overlooked in favour of the less accomplished.

A YEAR TO SAVOUR: Rhys McClenaghan celebrates with his gold medal after winning the Men’s Pommel Horse final at the World Artistic Gymnastics in October. Through his exploits in 2023, McClenaghan blazed a trail where no Irish gymnast has ever been. Picture: Filippo Tomasi/Sportsfile

The worst lies of all are the ones we tell ourselves, and at this time of year, there’s an empty promise I keep making: thou shalt not get annoyed at the RTÉ Sports Awards.

After all, the athletes don’t really care, their only barometer of success being the cold, hard figures on the scoreboard, stopwatch or judges’ scorecards, and not the subjective opinions of a panel, tasked with an apples-and-oranges comparison.