M-Plaza to host SWAG awards

The Weekend Agenda writes that 26th Awards ceremony of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana will take place at M-Plaza Hotel at Roman Ridge in Accra, on Saturday, September 22, 2001.

According to an official statement from the SWAG secretariat in Accra, 17 outstanding sportsmen and women will be honoured at the event, which officially marks the end of the reign of Joe Aggrey as President of SWAG.


Aggrey, now Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, will be honoured at another ceremony in Accra in December, to usher in the new executive of the SWAG after elections on November 2.


Youth and Sports Minister, Hon Papa Owusu Ankomah, who is also Member of Parliament for Sekondi, is the Guest of Honour.


The statement apologised to award winners for waiting all this while before being awarded, explaining that the current uncertain economic climate in the country, seriously undermined the association’s effort at honouring its obligation to sportsmen and women earlier.


The SWAG named the 17 award winners as Emmanuel Osei Kufuor of Hearts of Oak, the nation’s most attractive footballer at the moment, who will walk away with the prestigious Footballer of the Year Award.


Ishmael Addo also of Accra Hearts of Oak will be crowned goal-king with his club boss Harry Zakkour taking home the Chairman of the Year Award.

In a year in which Hearts captured the African Clubs Championship and went on to win the African Super Cup, the oldest existing club in the country also captured almost all the football honours on offer.


Hearts would take home the Club of the Year as well as the Top Scoring Club trophies. The Club’s technical brain, Jones Attuquayefio, would mount the rostrum at M-Plaza as the Coach of the Year.


For the fourth time in succession, FIFA Referee Alex Quartey would be decorated as the Referee of the Year. The Female Footballer of the Year will be conferred on Elizabeth Baidoo, a key member of the national women’s team, the Black Queens and playmaker of GHATEL Ladies of Accra.


International sprinter Aziz Zakari will be decorated as Athlete of the Year with World Junior Athletic medallist Vida Anim taking the Female Athlete of the year award.


The honour as Tennis Player of the Year will be conferred on Gunther Darkey, whiles Ben Tarley will take the honours as Hockey Player of the Year, Ofosu Armah, Prospect of the Year, Samuel Ellis, Juvenile Player of the Year and veteran Tennis Star Frank Ofori being honoured with the Dedication and Valour Award for nearly two decades on the international tennis tour.