Reaching new heights, 30 years on

By PATRICIA KEAMO
SOME of the country’s elite sportsmen and women will gather in Port Moresby tomorrow evening to celebrate the 30th year of the South Pacific Brewery-sponsored Sports Awards.
The awards, of which The National is the official print media partner, will be a recognition of 2021 sporting achievements.
The event, which sees 32 finalists in the running for awards across 11 categories, will also highlight how the initiative has evolved over the last 30 years.

National golf legend Darrie Nightingale at Yamba Country Club. Nightingale is the second local talent and the first local sporting heroine to feature as a guest speaker during the SP Sports Awards night.
**– Picture supplied**

From left: Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee president Sir John Dawanicura, South Pacific Brewery corporate affairs manager John Nilkare and PNG Sports Foundation executive director Albert Veratau during the launching the SP Sports Awards in February.

Former national golf representative and inaugural female-athlete-of-the-year Darrie Nightingale will officiate as the guest speaker at Crowne Hotel.
Nightingale is the second local talent and the first local sporting heroine to feature as a guest speaker, after sprint legend Takale Tuna’s 2021 appearance.
This year features some rookie finalists like the Nest Athletics Club, founded by former Olympian Nelson Stone, who was also shortlisted in the sports-official-of-the-year category.
The shortlisting came off the back of the club’s solid 2021 national athletics championships and Grand Prix Series campaigns.
Papuan Compound Ravens (national performance of the year) have also been shortlisted for their sporting achievements in the last three years, competing in the annual Sports Tok Sevens and other sevens rugby union tournaments.
Three new community sports initiatives were shortlisted for their contributions to the community through their respective programmes – Hook in4 Health (hockey), Inclusive GymBad Programme (gymnastics and badminton) and League Bilong Laif (rugby league).
Tennis siblings Sugar-Ray and Colita Hakena were shortlisted for the male and female athlete of the year respectively over their first hit-out in a Port Moresby Racquets Club junior tournament last year.
The other junior athletes recognised as finalists were squash pair Joshua Porter and Amity Alarcos, and Ursula Merimba, from Goroka’s Nokondi Triathlon Club.
Para-athletes Nelly Leva and Morea Mararos, who made their debut in last year’s Tokyo Paralympic Games, have been shortlisted for the best-sportsperson-with-a-disability award, alongside Special Olympics athlete Raphael Otoase.

From left: Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee president Sir John Dawanicura with South Pacific Brewery managing director Ed Weggemans and SP Sports Awards selection panel chairman Warwick Vele during the announcement of the finalists earlier this month.

South Sydney Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston and reigning Dally M centre of the year, Melbourne Storm’s Justin Olam, are in the running for the male athlete of the year award, with weightlifting Olympian Morea Baru. PNG international and St George Illawarra prop (in the Australian NRL Women’s premiership) is a contender in the female-athlete-of-the-year category, alongside Olympians Rellie Kaputin (jumps) and Dika Toua (weightlifting).
Reigning team-of-the-year Papua New Guinea Barramundis have been shortlisted for their maiden Twenty-20 World Cup appearance in the United Arab Emirates and Oman last year.
Reigning Digicel Cup grand finalists Lae Tigers and Waghi Tumbe are in the running for the team-of-the-year and national-performance-of-the-year awards.
Meanwhile, the Trukai Industries Limited-sponsored sports-media-of-the-year award will go either to The National, EMTV or the National Broadcasting Corporation (Paul Taumik Jr).
The best sports photo taken in 2021 will be decided between Simon Keslep, Fidelis Wasari and Patricia Keamo.
The people’s choice award will go to one of the finalists from the categories of either the male and female athlete of the year, national performance or team of the year, following a public vote through FM100’s short message service (SMS) voting system.
While the awards night will be held virtually for the second year in a row due to Coronavirus protocols, the public has been urged to follow the SP Sports Awards’ Facebook page to watch the live-stream.