First-ever All-Women Sports Awards slated March 20

MANILA, Philippines – The stage is set for the holding of the inaugural All-Women Sports Awards on March 20 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

A pet project of Philippine Sports Commissioner Bong Coo, the event aims to recognize the achievements of women athletes, coaches, executives, and other personnel that are all sports-related.

“I have been an athlete for so many years, pero wala pang ganitong klase ng awards kaya naisip namin ito na exclusive for women lang. Kasi di ba its always sports award in general, kaya sabi ko nga it’s about time,” said Coo, the legendary Filipina bowler and Hall of Famer, as she graced the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday at the conference hall of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Three members of the selection panel accompanied Coo in the session presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, PLDT/Smart, and the 24/7 sports app in the country ArenaPlus, namely taekwondo legend Stephen Fernandez of the Philippine Olympians Association, two-time SEA Games gold medalist Nikko Huelgas of the POC Athletes Commission, and Judith Staples of the Masters Athletics and private sector.

So far, a total of 300 nominees have been submitted to the committee by their respective National Sports Associations (NSAs) based on what they’ve attained in sports year 2023, although past achievements and accomplishments had also been considered by the group.

“We prioritized yung 2023 performances ng ating mga atleta, but we do not negate yung perfomances nila the past years, although we did give more weight to their 2023 performances,” said Staples.

According to Coo, 136 awardees — and counting — have already been selected by the committee to comprise the Athlete of the Year, Flame Awards, Lifetime Achievement Awards that cover elite athletes, para athletes, and Masters, as well as major awards and citations.

“There were some tough decisions kasi very tough yung competitions and we have a lot of top level Filipina athletes. But with the help of the NSAs and several recommendations, we were able to streamline and able to decide which one fits the best,” said Huelgas.

Instead of plaques and trophies, a specially crafted ring will be given to all awardees, while Sen. Pia Cayetano donated P100,000 to the recipient of the Athlete of the Year.

Fernandez added the committee will meet again next week to finalize the list of awardees, which the group would rather not disclosed at the moment.

Coo hopes to make the event presented by the PSC and the Philippine Commission on Women, a yearly affair.