PSA to honor the best, brightest

The Philippine Sportswriters Association will honor the year’s top Filipino athletes, led by gold medalists in the last Asian Games and in world championships, during its annual Sports Awards Night Jan. 10 at the Holiday Inn Manila.

PSA president Robert Cuevas said the association, the country’s oldest news organization founded in 1949, had reached an agreement with Holiday Inn for the staging of the country’s most prestigious sports award in the Coral Ballroom of the hotel on UN Avenue, Manila.

Ceremonies start at 7 p.m.

Red Bull and Photokina, which along with Holiday Inn, Pioneer Insurance and Agfa have been sponsors of the weekly PSA Sports Forum, are supporting the event, which honors the country’s major achievers in various sports endeavors during the year.

The other backers are the PSC, Samsung, Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corporation, San Miguel Corp. and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

The PSA will present the top award to the Athletes of the Year, who will be voted upon by the regular members of the organization. The top athletes will be chosen from among the gold medalists in this year’s Asian Games in Busan, South Korea and in world championships held during the year.

Also to be awarded are the Asian Games silver and bronze medalists and international champions in various sports.

The PSA will also present posthumous awards to former sports greats who passed away in 2002 and corporate sponsors which have made substantial contributions to the promotion of sports on the grassroots level or to the training here and abroad of national athletes.

For the second straight year, the organization will give special awards to former sportswriters who have distinguished themselves in other professions.

Last year’s awardees were Ambassador Andy del Rosario, former Manila Standard publisher and former sportswriter, and Cotabato Gov. Manny Piñol, a former boxing columnist.

Cuevas said an executive committee had already screened the initial list of nominees for the various awards and will come up with the final list by December.

The executive committee is also announcing a bid for the TV coverage of the event.

Cuevas said the PSA’s 80-strong membership will be on hand to receive guests and serve as presentors during the awarding ceremonies.

Cuevas also said attendance in this year’s PSA annual Awards will be by invitation only. The guest list will include top officials of the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, national sports associations and sports clubs as well as top corporate and government executives involved in sports, awardees’ guests, corporate sponsors and special guests.