The stories have been nominated under the "Best Colour Piece" and "Best Column" categories.

Under the Best Colour Piece category, Duncan Mackay, the founding editor of insidethegames, has been nominated for his blog on the legendary Czech distance runner Emil Zatopek and how he had stood up to the Soviet Union when they invaded Prague in 1968, at great personal sacrifice to himself and his family.

In the piece, Mackay speaks about the brave story of Zatopek, the winner of four Olympic gold medals, including three at Helsinki 1952 and wife Dana, also an Olympic champion, who were among those that stood on the front line to support the fight for greater freedom and improved living standards.

More than 20 years after his death, plans to celebrate the centenary of Zatopek's birth had been amended due to use of the letter "Z," which has become a symbol of Russia in their war in Ukraine.

Dan Palmer, editorial manager for client accounts, was also nominated in the same category for his blog on the story of sport in St Helena.

Before last year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Palmer spoke to Nick Stevens, the President of the St Helena Commonwealth Games Association (SHCGA), about the volcanic island's iconic journey to Glasgow 2014, starting with a voyage to Cape Town and then two flights via Amsterdam and what they expected from the athletes in the English city.

In the Best Column category, Michael Pavitt, former senior reporter at insidethegames, was nominated for his blog on Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva's doping scandal at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, which he helped break. 

Mackay and Pavitt worked together as insidethegames exclusively broke the biggest doping scandal involving a Russian at the Winter Olympics and the impact it had on the country since the Sochi 2014 state-sponsored doping controversy.

Both Mackay and Pavitt received death threats following publication of the story. 

Sarah Bowron, managing director of insidethegames, claimed the nominations capped another outstanding year for the publication founded by Mackay, the former athletics correspondent of The Guardian, in 2005.

"insidethegames has been setting the Olympic news agenda for nearly 20 years now, but never more than in the last 12 months," Bowron said. 

"Duncan and Michael led the world on the Kamila Valieva story - living up to our motto, 'We lead, others follows'.

"Our coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the Olympic Movement has been unrivalled.

"All this is reflected in record reader numbers, with millions of visitors and page views every month - with more and more people relying on our independent coverage which is trusted around the world. 

"The nomination of Duncan, Dan and Michael for the AIPS awards is a testament to their skill and professionalism."