FROM the peak of Mt. Everest to the flat roads of Doha, Qatar, Filipino athletes who did their share in making 2006 a bumper crop for Philippine sports will be honored on January 18 during the PSA-SMC Annual Awards at the Mall of Asia.
Sharing the limelight together with the eight personalities, led by boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, named Athletes of the Year by the 58-year-old association, are the first three Filipino mountain climbers who reach Mt. Everest, the world’s highest mountain, and the silver and bronze medallists in the last Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.
Leo Oracion, Pastor Emata and Romy Garduce, who climbed the summit of the 29,035 feet mountain one after the other last summer, will be conferred the PSA President’s Award while the Doha Asiad medallists lead the list of persons and entities to be cited by the country’s oldest media organization.
Earlier, Pacquiao has been bestowed the honor Athlete of the Year alongside seven others, namely, billiards champion Efren "Bata" Reyes and Ronnie Alcano, bowler Biboy Rivera and Asiad gold medal winners Joan Tipon, Violito Payla, Antonio Gabica and Rene Catalan.
PBA 2005-06 Most Valuable Player (MVP) James Yap (pro basketball) lead the six honorees to be given major awards together with Ken Bono (amateur basketball), Juvic Pagunsan (golf), Jonathan B. Hernandez (horseracing) and Real Spicy (horseracing).
Lovely young golfers Dottie Ardina, Mia Legaspi and Cyna Rodriguez, together with rising chess prodigy Wesley So on the other hand, are the recipients of the Antonio Siddayao award, given to athletes who showed promise even at their young age.
Receiving the PSA Lifetime Achievement award during the two-hour ceremony that begins at 3 p.m. is former World Chess Federation (FIDE) president Florencio Campomanes while Eugene Torre, who became Asia’s first grandmaster is going to be elevated to the PSA Hall of Fame
Legendary golfer Ben Arda and two-time PSA president and former Manila Standard Today sports editor Bert Cuevas head the nine sports great and personalities who will be feted with a posthumous award by the association composed of sportswriters belonging from the different national dailies and tabloid.
And owing to a productive year that saw their athletes glowed in both the Asian and world levels, the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) and the Blliards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) have been named the Outstanding NSAs.
|
