THIS year has seen the country's top athletes descend on London to compete in one of the biggest sporting events of the decade.

Team GB and ParaGB stunned the nation with their performances in top venues.

Now it is time to reward the country's greatest athletes at the Sportsperson of the Year Awards.

Shortlisted nominees will attend the glittering awards ceremony at the spectacular City Chambers, on February 1, 2013.

Olympic heroes and Paralympians are destined to top the list of candidates in the 13 award categories.

This year, one of the most hotly contested categories is expected to be the Evening Times Glasgow Disabled Athlete of the Year.

Last year, Special Olympic powerlifter Geraldine Fitzsimmons, right, took home the award for her achievements which included gold medals at the Special Olympics Great Britain, at UK Championships and European level.

Geraldine, from the city's West End, has been European Champion twice and came second at the 2009 Special Olympics European Games in Warsaw, Poland.

Now the search is on for this year's greatest disabled athlete, and names such as Andrew Mullen, the swimmer from Newton Mearns on the outskirts of the city, and other members of ParaGB are strong contenders.

Gordon McCormack, senior disability sports development officer for Glasgow Life and chairman of Scottish Disability Sport, praised the awards for recognising the hard work of athletes.

He said: "Recognition is good for anybody as it puts them up on a platform and gives them kudos and it gives them another shot in the arm for all the exciting things that happen in life."

Milngavie man Gordon, 62, was at the Games with Andrew, 15, and the other Scottish athletes in London.

He said: "I had the privilege of doing a couple of presentations at 10am, there were 80,000 people in that stadium cheering on people with a disability, I have never before seen anything like that."

And the profile of the Paralympics has impacted on disabled sport in Glasgow - every week one or two more people join Gordon's sports clubs.

This Friday the Glasgow branch of Scottish Disability Sport is relaunching with an event showcasing Glasgow clubs and sports from athletics and swimming to cycling and wheelchair tennis, to raise awareness of what's on offer.

Five years ago Scottish Disability Sport had four staff. Now they have 18.

Gordon said: "We are trying invest in people with disabilities and ensure that there are pathways - it is not all about performance either, it has to be about grass-roots development.

"It is not just about playing a sport, there is a whole life skill in there that is important."

With 2014 less than two years away, the city has many new sporting facilities.

Gordon said: "It is exciting times, in Glasgow we'll have the 2014 Commonwealth Games, in 2015 we have the International Paralympic Committee European swimming championships and there is a possibility we could host 'the worlds' - that's great for Glasgow.

"Now we are bidding to host the Youth Olympics in 2018 - this city is alive."

Andrew, who has only one fully functioning limb, reached the finals in all his events at the Paralympics.

He said he thought the Paralympics would inspire others to get involved in sport, saying: "The Paralympics has given a really good impression of para sport and how competitive it is and how good a spectator sport it is.

"I think it will inspire other disabled people - if it inspired me it can inspire someone else."

Councillor Archie Graham, chairman of Glasgow Life and executive member for the Commonwealth Games, said: "These awards are not only for people involved in sport at all levels from elite to grassroots, but also across all abilities.

"The Disabled Athlete of the Year could be one of the most hotly contended awards of the evening.

"I would like everyone to think about those people who make a real difference in their club or community or who they see as an inspiration and to nominate that person for one of the 13 awards."

matty.sutton@eveningtimes.co.uk

The deadline for nominations is this Friday. To nominate, complete an online application form at www.glagowlife. org.uk/sport

You can also download the form and return it by e-mail.