Third place for insidethegames journalist at top sports awards in Abu Dhabi

Nick Butler, left, and fellow nominee Alan Abrahamson @Nick Butler/Facebook

The senior reporter at insidethegames has finished in third place in his category at a prestigious sports writing award ceremony.

Nick Butler was nominated in the Journalistic Weblog category at the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) Sport Media Pearl Awards which were held at Abu Dhabi's Etihad Towers complex.

His achievement has seen him scoop a cash prize of $5,000 (£3,200/€4,600) after he was selected ahead of entries which came in from all over the world.

"It was a huge honour to be a finalist at the AIPS Sport Media Pearl Awards in Abu Dhabi," said Butler, who travels the globe as part of his job with the world's leading Olympic news website.

Sport media professionals from around the world were in attendance in the United Arab Emirates city, with the event hosted by Britain's Olympic champion triple jumper Jonathan Edwards.

Other sporting luminaries in attendance included Italian footballer Alessandro Del Piero and NBA star Yao Ming, who was a member of the judging panel and a Sport Media Pearl Awards ambassador.

Nick Butler was third in his category at the Sport Media Pearl Awards ©Nick Butler/Facebook

Gianni Merlo, President of AIPS, said: “The journey to the ceremony has been exhilarating.

"It has been an absolute privilege to study the incredible work of so many talented journalists in all forms of sport media.

"The Sport Media Pearl Awards proves that the passion to tell the story of sport is as strong as ever.”

First place in Butler's category went to German Stefan Nestler,while Alan Abrahamson of the United States was second.

"I came third behind two great writers from Germany and the United States, so am very pleased," he said.

Launched at the Louvre Museum in Paris in March, the awards are the first to be dedicated to the international sport journalism industry.

A six-month trip was made around the world by organisers, taking in some of the world’s biggest sporting events, to encourage people to enter.

You can read Butler's nominated blog, entitled "Crash, bang, wallop as sports politics is turned on its head at SportAccord Convention" here.

insidethegames chief columnist David Owen was among the original nominees in the "Writing Best Column" award, for his column "St Louis 1904 official report provides stark evidence of racism of time", which you can read here.