#Sports

Barrow awarded Foreign Based Athlete of the Year

Jul 5, 2021, 2:05 PM | Article By: Arfang M.S. Camara

Musa Barrow was awarded the Best Foreign Based Athlete of the Year during the 11th edition of the award night of the Sports Journalists Association of the Gambia (SJAG) held at the iconic Sir Dawda Jawara Conference Center on Saturday.

Musa Barrow won the award following a stunning performance for Bologna last season in which he scored 9 goals in 18 appearances for them during his first season.

Meanwhile, Gina Bass won the Sports Personality of the year.

Africa’s best female athlete, Gina Bass is set to make history when she represents The Gambia at the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games later this month.

She recorded her name in the history books in 2019 after winning the 200m gold at the African Games.

Special awards were given to Coach Marie Wadda of Volleyball, Gambia male beach volleyball, Abie Ceesay, assistant football referee, Isatou Touray, a football referee, Gambia U-20 team, Coach Tapha Manneh, Coach Matarr Mboge and the Scorpion senior national team.

President Awards were also given to the president of The Gambia Adama Barrow, Hon. Matarr Ba, Senegalese Sports minister, Abdoulie Thiam, ANPS president, Coach Tom Saintfiet of Scorpions national team, former Sports minister and coach, Mass Axi Gaye, Lamin Kaba Bajo GFF president and Senegal’s and Liverpool star Sadio Mane.   

Musa Sise, SJAG president in his remarks at the event, said the awards night was meant to celebrate each and every member of the “Gambia sporting fraternity for one reason or the other that made us proud and joyful.”

He thanked previous executive members of the association and everyone who contributed in one way or the other in ensuring the association gets this far.

“We are able to achieve this due to our unity, commitment, hard work and dedication to the promotion of our sports. No amount of indifference, suspicion and disunity can take us anywhere,” he stated.

He added that their pride as sportsmen and women is to see how best they sell their sports, noting that the opportunities in sports are so numerous and not only football.

“I encourage and implore every one of us who for one way or the other has been involved in a sport (managing, playing or administrating) to do his or her utmost,” he went on.

SJAG Honorary Life president, Pap Saine, urged sports journalists to continue covering and promoting all sporting disciplines in the country.

“There are 25 sporting disciplines in the country, although most of them are dormant, I urge and encourage all sports journalists to continue promoting and covering all the other disciplines,” said Mr. Saine.  

Abdoulie Thiam, ANPS president, highlighted the existing and cordial relationship between SJAG and ANPS.

“When The Gambia qualified for its first ever Afcon tournament in Cameroon, Gambians celebrated but we also celebrated in Dakar, Senegal,” he said.

He added that even when Senegalese FA president, Augustine Senghore was vying for the position of vice president at CAF, Gambia Football Federation President, Lamin Kaba Bajo was one of the people who supported his candidacy all through until it became a success.

According to him, this shows how Senegal and Gambia are close, adding that their wish is to see both countries (Gambia and Senegal) make it to the final of the upcoming Afcon tournament.