PSA, Photokina renew partnership

A long-time partner of local sports is again lending a big hand when the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) honors the top sports achievers of 2005 during its Annual Awards Night on Jan. 14 at the Manila Pavilion.

For the nth time, Photokina marketing, the company behind top energy drink product Red Bull, renewed its partnership with the country’s sportswriting fraternity, which made the victorious Team Philippines in the recent 23rd Southeast Asian Games as its Athlete of the Year for 2005. The company is headed by sportsman George Chua.

"Again we appreciate the whole-hearted support Photokina is extending us in making the Annual Awards Night another big success," said PSA president Jimmy Cantor of Malaya.

Photokina is a regular sponsor of the yearly awards rites while Red Bull has been a constant supporter of the weekly PSA Forum.

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose ‘Peping’ Cojuangco Jr. will be the guest of honor and speaker in the simple, two-hour award rites also expected to be graced by the country’s other top sports officials.

Tapped to host this year’s affair to be shown on a delayed basis over NBN-4 is amateur basketball star Alex Compton and popular sports broadcaster Patricia Bermudez-Hizon.

Charming diver Sheila Mae Perez, winner of three gold medals in the biennial meet, will accept the huge trophy in behalf of Team Philippines, which captured the overall title for the first time ever since it began competing in the SEA Games in 1977.

Twenty two athletes, among them are boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao, golf star Jennifer Rosales and Perez, will be the recipients of major awards from the country’s oldest media organization.

All the 113 gold medal winners in the SEA Games on the other hand, will be bestowed special citations.

Heading the list of entities and personalities to be given citations is San Miguel Corp. which doled out P100 million to the First Gentleman’s Foundation as part of the athletes’ training for the SEA Games.

For scoring a six gold-medal romp in the SEA Games, the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation was unanimously voted as the most outstanding national sports association while the Philippine Paralympics team and Joseph Dumuk will be handed out special awards.

The Para Games RP contingent bagged a record 22 gold medals in the 3rd ASEAN Para Games while Dumuk played a major role in making the overall medal tally in the last SEA Games as accurate as possible as part of the RP secretariat.

Young golfers Wolen Superal and Miguel Tabuena are the recipients of the Antonio M. Siddayao awards for their several exploits in the international fronts.