Awards night successful

By PATRICIA KEAMO
THE 2021 South Pacific Brewery-sponsored Sports Awards (SPSA) night was successfully staged in Port Moresby on Saturday.
For the first time in 28 years since the inception of the initiative, a local sports icon — Takale Tuna —was the guest speaker of the event.
Boasting 35 finalists across 13 categories, the SP Sports Awards’ first virtual presentation night was held under the theme “Excellence through Adversity”.
Sprint legend Takale Tuna emphasised the challenges faced by athletes.
“The theme is timely and relevant, given the Covid-19 pandemic that is affecting our country,” he said.
“It has affected our athletes’ preparations to perform on the global stage, especially for this year’s Tokyo Olympics.”
He said despite the hard times SP Brewery continues to support sports men and women.
The winners are: Justin Olam (male athlete of the year), Abigail Tere-Apisah (female athlete of the year), Hela Wigmen (national performance of the year), Barramandis (team of the year), Joe Dawes (sports official of the year), Basketball for Good (community sports initiative), Hila Vare (junior male athlete of the year), Patricia Apisah (junior female athlete), Steven Abraham (best sportsperson with disability), Trukai Industries (Stan Joyce Award), Norman Vanua (People’s Choice Award), Paul Taumik Junior (sports media) and Jordan Sere (sports photo).