ABC Sports Award of the Year was one of the premier sports awards in Australia. From 1951 to 1983, it was called the ABC Sportsman of the Year Award.[1]
The award was originally voted for by Australian Broadcasting Corporation sports supervisors and the sports editors of major Australian newspapers. After 1983, members of the Australian Sportswriters' Association also voted.[2] The awards were first presented on television in 1957.[3]
Swimmer Dawn Fraser was voted as the best Australian sportsman of the 25 years in 1975 as part of the award silver jubilee celebrations.[2]
In 1993, there was a merger of the Sport Australia Awards and the ABC Sports Award of the Year with the new award known as ABC Sport Australia Awards.[4] After 1994, the new award removed the ABC from its title. The award was later known as the Australian Sport Awards and ceased in 2006. The main national annual awards are Sport Australia Hall of Fame Awards and the Australian Institute of Sport Awards.
Team award was introduced in 1987.
| Year | Team | Sport | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Australian cricket team | Cricket | |
| 1988 | Australia women's national field hockey team (Hockeyroos) | Field hockey | |
| 1989 | Australian cricket team | Cricket | |
| 1990 | Australian men's rowing coxless four crew (Oarsome Foursome) | ||
| 1991 | Australia national rugby union team (Wallabies) | Rugby union | |
| 1992 | Australian men's rowing coxless four crew (Oarsome Foursome) | ||
| 1993 | Australian cricket team (joint winner) | Cricket | |
| 1993 | Australian Men's Team Pursuit Team (joint winner) |