The Sports Journalists Association of The Gambia (SJAG) on Saturday held its 3rd Edition of the annual National Sports Award at a ceremony held at the Jerma Beach Hotel in Kololi.
The event, geared towards honoring individuals, athletes, sports administrators and living legends for their achievements and promotion of Gambian sport, was graced by prominent football icons in the likes of two-time African footballer of the year El-hadji Diouf, Khalilu Fadiga and Alasan Ndoye, who all made significant impact to help the Terenga Lions of Senegal reach the quarterfinals of the 2002 Fifa World Cup, the only African team to have reached that far apart from Cameroon and Ghana in 1990 and 2010.
Some of the key sports personalities that attended the occasion were UK-based Gambian star athlete Nusrat Ceesay, Pap Saine, Honorary life president of the SJAG; O.B. Konateh, Honorary life president of the Gambia Football Association; Mamburry Njie, Finance Minister, and other high-profile sports dignitaries.
Winner of the 2009 Sports Journalists Association Player of the Year award, Lamin Sarjo Samateh of Samger FC, was again the winner of the 2010 player of the year award.
Lamin Sarr, national U-20 coach, who led the Gambia U-20 team to a smooth qualifiers for the African Youth Championship in
Dickory Jawo went away as winner of the 2010 Referee of the Year award, while Basuruwa Conteh was named winner of the 2010 Tennis Player of the Year award.
Isatou Nyang, one of the best female basketball players and wheelchair athletics in the country, was awarded the 2010 Paralympic Player of the Year award, while Peter Gomez, regarded as one of The Gambia’s most successful Sports Broadcasters in history, went away with the 2010 Most Outstanding Individual in Support of Sports award.
Africell, one of the leading companies in support of the country’s development towards sports, was named 2010 Sports Journalist Association Most Outstanding Company in Support of Sports; while Cherno Omar Bobb, senior sports reporter of The Point newspaper and also a certified golfer, went away with the 2010 Writer of the Year award.
Amadou Manga, head of sports and news desk at Unique FM Radio who is also the producer of the popular Good Morning Gambia show on Unique FM Radio as well as the anchorman of sports, was named winner of the 2010 Broadcaster of the Year, while Abdoulie Fatty was named the winner of the 2010 Photo-journalists of the Year award.