Boonen not nominated in '08

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After a season of mixed fortunes for Tom Boonen, the selection panel for the Sportsman of the Year awards in Belgium has not seen fit to include him as a top-three nominee for this year's prize, according to Sportwereld.be.

Winner of this year's Paris-Roubaix, Boonen was found to have used cocaine recreationally in an out-of-competition test in June and hence was not selected for Quick Step's Tour de France squad the following month. The apparent snub would tend to suggest that the panel has reacted adversely to Boonen's indiscretion, given that he became a dual winner of the Roubaix crown and continued to post wins throughout the season.

Having won this year's Tour of Flanders, Boonen's teammate Stijn Devolder has been nominated for the top gong in Belgian sport, as has Sven Nys and track athlete Kevin Borlee. None of Belgium's female cyclists have been nominated for the sportswoman of the year.