Surprise honour sprung on Doddie Weir
● Rugby favourite recognised for his contribution to the sporting world
Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir has been given a special “services to sport” honour in his home city today – months after revealing he is battling motor neurone disease.
Fellow internationalist Scott Hastings present the 47- yearold – who has set up his own charitable trust to help with research into MND and sup - port others with the disease – with the honour at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.
The recognition for the former British and Irish Lion was an emotional highlight of the annual Radio Forth Awards, which also honoured entertainers, charities and community leaders.
Weir, who earned 61 caps and was part of the Five Nationswinning squad in 1999, announced his diagnosis in June to help raise awareness of the degenerative condition.
He is the latest sporting star to be struck down by MND, which leads to paralysis and difficulties with speech, swallowing and breathing, including former Rangers footballer Fernando Ricksen. Former Labour adviser Gordon Aikman, who launched the Gordon’ s Fight back campaign when he was diagnosed, died in February aged 31.
MND is a rapidly progressing terminal illness, which stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles. There is currently no cure or effective treatment for MND and the average life expectancy from diagnosis is just 14 months.
There is around 450 people in Scotland currently living with the disease and on average more than 160 new cases of MND are diagnosed each year.
Born in Edinburgh in 1970, Weir started playing rugby for Stewart’s Melville before joining Melrose, in the B orders, where he still lives. He first noticed symptoms of MND after he gradually lost power in his left hand after trapping it in a door.
Weir, who though the was attending the award sc eremo nyasa guest, was given a standing ovation from the audience at the ceremony.
He said: “It was a total surprise, but it was lovely. It really just adds to all the support that I’ ve received since tellin ge very one what condition I’ve got. It’s been unbelievable and inspiring. It’s just been one emotional event after the other at the moment.
“I’m just a normal B orders rugby boy but this has reached a lot of people. It’s been quite over whelming. A lot of it has been difficult to take on, but it’s what has to be done.
“Life’ s not that bad at the moment. I’ve been given this card, but I’ m still able to do things. I’ve got a bit of ti me, but I don’t know how much time, as I’ ve not had a timetable given to me. I’m able to do a lot of things with family and friends at the moment, as well as spread the word about MND.”
At 6ft 6in, Doddie Weir is a giant of a man and, with 61 appearances in a Scotland rugby shirt and a British Lions tour under his belt, a giant of the game.
But in the extraordinary way he has faced his diagnosis with motor neuron disease, he has proved himself a giant in a different sense.
Despite his obvious distress, he has thrown himself into his new task: raising awareness of this terrible and incurable disease.
Bill Mclaren famously described him as being “on the charge like a mad giraffe” during one game; any rugby fan who saw Doddie play will be able to picture this image.
In publicising the need for more research into MND, he has adopted a similarly bold and eye- catching approach, wearing his trademark technicolour tartan suits at every opportunity.
Kenny Logan and other players of his era have spoken of the love they have for Doddie and the whole of Scotland is now realising why. So the presentation of a special honour for “services to sport” at the Radio Forth Awards is something the entire nation and the international rugby community will applaud.