SWAG releases nominees for 2015 awards
The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) has released the names of nominees of sportsmen and women who excelled in the year 2015.
Advertisement
The nominees, who will be honoured at the prestigious MTN-SWAG Awards on May 28 at the Banquet Hall, State House, Accra, were drawn from various sporting disciplines.
Leading the nominations is the Sports Personality of the Year category, which has Andre Ayew, Asamoah Gyan, Yusif Basigi and Bashir Hayford, with Ayew, Gyan and Harrison Afful vying for the Footballer of the Year Award.
Addressing a press conference in Accra last Monday, Mr Kwabena Yeboah, President of the SWAG, named Portia Boakye, Samira Sulemana and Janet Egyiri as nominees for the Female Footballer of the Year category.
Other nominees named were: Premier League Star of the Year - Eric Opoku (Ashgold), Kennedy Ashia (Liberty Pros) and Richard Ofori (Wa All Stars), while National Team of the Year award will be jointly received by Black Queens – the female national team-and the Golden Rackets for winning gold medals at the 2015 All Africa Games.
The Coach of the Year award will be a contest among Yusif Basigi (Black Queens, Hasaacas Ladies), Bashiru Hayford (Ashgold) and Henry Quansah (Golden Rackets), with the Professional Boxer of the Year for the second time going to Richard Commey, while David Bawa will take home the Amateur Boxer of the Year award.
The Athlete of the Year (male) will go to John Ampomah for winning silver in Javelin at the 2015 All Africa Games, with Athlete of the Year (female) going to Nadia Eke also for winning bronze medal at the 2015 All Africa Games in Triple Jump.
Patrick Yaw Obeng has been named as the Para Athlete of the Year after winning bronze in 1,500m & 800m in the T54 category, while Jonny Botsio was adjudged Male Hockey Player of the Year with the Female Hockey Player of the Year going to Nafisatu Umaru.
According to the SWAG, Table Tennis Star of the Year will go to Felix Lartey, Bernard Joe Sam, Emmanuel Commey and Derrick Abrefa for winning bronze medals in the team event at the All Africa Games, while Judo Star of the Year (female) went to Szandra Szogoli (All Africa Games 63kg bronze) and Judo Star of the Year (male) going to Emmanuel Nartey (All Africa 60kg bronze).
The Taekwondo Star of the Year award went to David Adjetey (84kg silver medallist at the 2015 All Africa Games), with Association Chairman of the Year going to Frederick Otu Lartey of the Ghana Taekwondo Association (GTA). Discovery of the Year award will jointly go to Richard Seklorwu (long jump gold medallist, Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa) and Joseph Tindan Kuyon (silver medallist, World Children Taekwondo Culture Festival in South Korea)
Other award nominees were: Most Promising Star, Joel Fameyeh (Asokwa Deportivo/Local Black Stars -- 36 goals in 34 games in DOL), Dedication and Valour, Stephen Oduro (Asante Kotoko); Lifetime Achievement Award, Sophia Okulley (women's football) and C.K. Gyamfi (posthumous).
The Special Awards will go to Asamoah Gyan (sports philanthropy), Eben Annang Whyte (development of table tennis) and Police Women's Hockey team (silver medallist, African Clubs Championship).
—GNA
