It was the year the world descended on Rio, where Scotland's athletes produced their best ever performance at an overseas Olympic and Paralympic Games.
At home we saw the return of the Old Firm as a regular fixture, we gasped as Hibernian won the Scottish Cup for the first time since 1902, and we applauded as the Scotland women's team did what the men have failed to do for two decades and qualified for the European Championship finals.
In our other major national team sport, we stirred in our seats as the men's Scottish rugby team restored their reputation of being hard to beat, and Glasgow Warriors continued to establish themselves as a serious force in European rugby.
Away from the packed stadia and the mass media coverage, committed people of all ages invested time and energy in sport in their communities, their schools and universities in 2016, all contributing to the building of a world class sporting system.
The efforts and expertise of many people have been reflected in the 2016 Sunday Mail and sportscotland Scottish Sports Awards, handed out tonight in a glittering ceremony in Glasgow, but one man's achievements inevitably put him on the highest of all pedestals.
Sports Personality of the Year
Andy Murray has been named sportscotland Sports Personality of the Year for the fifth time in six years.
This was the year when the Dunblane man won the Wimbledon men's singles title for a second time, added a second Olympic gold medal after an epic battle in the final in Rio with Juan Martin del Potro, and went on to finish 2016 in the best possible style.
Murray's victory in the ATP Tour Finals confirmed his status as the world No.1 at the turn of the year, elevating him to a place in the pantheon of Scottish sporting legends that will be hard for anyone to challenge.
School Sport Award
One of sportscotland’s Gold-rated schools has been recognised for its outstanding contribution to sport with the most prestigious award for school sport in Scotland.
St Rose of Lima Primary, which is situated in the Ruchazie area of Glasgow’s east end, has picked up the national accolade for its commitment to creating an environment where children of all ages and abilities can participate and progress in sport.
St Rose of Lima, which was first shortlisted for this award in 2015, has over 480 pupils from a variety of social and economic backgrounds. For many of the children English is not their first language and a high percentage of the pupils have additional support needs.
Watch our video to see what makes St Rose of Lima so special.
Local Club of the Year
The City of Edinburgh Volleyball Club has been singled out among thousands of sport clubs in Scotland for its commitment and passion to create an environment where children of all ages and abilities can thrive.
Led by head coach Ian Brownlee and based at Queensferry High School, the club has increased participation in the sport by more than 100% in the past 18 months.
Ian based his vision for the growth club on a renowned volleyball club in Finland, and has worked with community sport hub colleagues in the area to achieve exceptional results.
Watch our video to find out more.
Coach of the Year
The two-man team behind the University of Stirling's ultra-successful swim team, Ben Higson and Steven Tigg, have coached their athletes to an incredible haul of medals at world and continental level and the Olympic Games.
They are the coaches responsible for the exploits of Ross Murdoch, Duncan Scott and Robbie Renwick in 2016 and for the creation of a truly exceptional high-performance environment.
Watch our video to find out more about the synergy between Ben and Steven and what one of their Olympic medallists thinks about them.
Local Hero
Ammar Ashraf is the driving force behind the progressive East Renfrewshire Cricket Club and plays a wide variety of roles from junior convener to fundraiser, development officer, groundsman and driver.
The club formerly existed as Hamilton CC, which only catered for adult players. After a move to Woodfarm Playing Fields, coordinated by Ammar, it now has an extensive youth programme which continues through the off-season with indoor activities at Barrhead Foundry.
Watch our video to find out more about this year's Local Hero.
Team of the Year
After so many years of near misses, Scotland’s women football team showed the men how to get to a major finals, the first in their history.
Manager Anna Signeul has transformed Scottish women’s football in Scotland over the past decade but has never made it over the final hurdle, falling in play-offs for UEFA EURO 2009 and 2013, and the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
But this time her side’s qualifying campaign for the European Championships in 2017 was a triumph, finishing their group with seven wins and only a single 4-0 defeat to Iceland, going through to next summer’s finals in Holland as one of the best runners-up. They scored a remarkable 30 goals along the way - 10 of those coming from the brilliant Jane Ross.
Disability Sport Award
Everything Andy Murray achieved in 2016, his compatriot Gordon Reid sought to emulate, making him an outstanding candidate to retain the award he claimed in 2015.
It was another landmark year for the Helensburgh ace and he started it in spectacular fashion with his first major singles title at the Australian Open.
He grew from there, winning the inaugural singles wheelchair title at Wimbledon, along with the doubles title, before taking singles gold in the Paralympics in Rio as well as a silver in the doubles. Like Murray he ended the year as the first British player to hold the No.1 spot in the world rankings.
Young Sports Personality
Dunbar teenager Maria celebrated her first Paralympics with a superb haul of a silver and two bronzes in the T35 sprints and T35-38 relay.
At just 16, Maria has lived with diplegic cerebral palsy in her legs almost all of her life but despite problems at school she has refused to let it overcome her and with the help of her PE teacher mum, she discovered a serious talent for running.
Already a five-time European champ in her disciplines before Rio, she continued to grow there, setting a PB in what turned out to be a world record race in the final of the 200m.
Inspirational Performance
Written off as a spent force in world boxing after a losing streak of three fights in four in the lightweight division, and having turned 33 into the bargain, Ricky Burns was off the radar at the top level.
Having moved to light welterweight, he was given a shot at the WBA belt vacated by American Adrien Broner and at a packed SSE Hydro in Glasgow, he overpowered Italian Michele di Rocco, stopping him in the eighth to become the first ever Scot - and only the third Briton, with the last coming 24 years ago - to win world titles in three different divisions.
Sporting Event
One of the great transformational events in sport, the Homeless World Cup took over George Square in the heart of Glasgow for a week in July.
More than 80,000 spectators took in the games, featuring 500 players from 50 nations, with Mexico taking the trophy in both men’s and women’s events.
But this event was about so much more than football. Raising awareness of a global plight, it captivated the people of Scotland and generated huge amounts of media attention for a cause which deserves it.
Lifetime Achievement
In 1967, Celtic's 'Lisbon Lions' made themselves immortal with an achievement in the Portuguese capital that is unlikely ever be repeated by a Scottish football outfit.
Billy McNeill's locally-reared team beat Inter Milan 2-1 to become the first British club to win the European Cup.
Editor's Choice
They went all the way to Rio de Janeiro and came back heroes.
At the 2016 Olympic Games, the Scottish competitors who took part individually or in team events won four gold medals, seven silver medals and two bronze medals, making this the most successful overseas Olympics ever for Scottish athletes.
At the Paralympic Games, the Scottish competitors who took part individually or in team events won five gold medals, eight silver medals and four bronze medals – exceeding their tally from London 2012.
All in all, 28 Scots scaled the podium in Rio and many other athletes broke national records, recorded personal bests and surpassed expectations and targets.
All videos courtesy of Quay Productions
