The National’s Ami wins media award

SPORTS reporter Jack Ami, pictured, of The National claimed the 2019 Sports Media of the Year award at the SP Sports Awards on Saturday.
The experienced newspaper journalist was awarded for his work in covering the 2018 Oceania Under-15 basketball championships in Port Moresby last December.
The veteran of the industry had been nominated by Basketball Federation of PNG and PNG Sports Foundation officer Ronnie Mea.
Ami thanked Mea and acknowledged their work in basketball in the early 1980s as a coach and player.
Ami also thanked his paper for giving him the opportunity to stay in the media industry and to report on a wide range of sports including rugby league, netball, bowls, touch, volleyball, softball and table tennis.
“Ronnie Mea and I have an association in basketball that goes back to the early 1980s and I am honoured to have coached and mentored him and for our relationship over the years,” Ami said.
“I am also thankful to my newspaper The National for giving me the opportunity to write and report on sports and to my fellow reporters and those individuals who helped me along the way.”
The photo journalist claimed the accolade ahead of EMTV’s Dinnierose Raiko and TVWAN’s Marie Sakumai.
The award was Ami’s first in his 39 years in the industry.
Photographer Simon Keslep of the Post Courier won the Sports Photo of the Year award with his softball picture titled ‘Airborne’.
The National’s Lae-based photo-journalist Larry Andrew was also a finalist in the same category and finished first runner-up with his photo titled ‘Try on Debut’.