Photo by Anesh Debiky / Gallo Images
Mark Gleeson, the South African award winning sports journalist is one of the personalities invited to grace the 44thMTN/ SWAG Awards scheduled for the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on May 11, 2019.
President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), Kwabena Yeboah said preparations have reached an advanced stage and the next awards gala night is going to be the best.
He thanked Communications giants, MTN Ghana for supporting the association over the years to recognize and honour the nation’s outstanding sports heroes.
He hinted that there would be an exclusive entertainment package for the ceremony which is strictly by invitation.
According to Kwabena Yeboah, the top South African sports journalist and TV personality, Mark Gleeson was specially invited to inspire the youth and young journalists and share in experience.
Mark Gleeson began his journalism career aged 20, winning the prize as the best Cadet Reporter for 1984 and going onto be in Durban and Johannesburg, through which he cultivated a lifelog for African football.
Gleeson covered South Africa’s admission to CAF at the Dakar Congress in 1992 and has been to every single Nations Cup tournament since then – 14 in a row.
He has attended all FIFA World Cup since 1986 in Mexico, missing only Italy in 1980. In 1993, he founded the soccer magazine, KICK OFF, and embarked on a career connecting for television, first with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and later SuperSport.
In 2017, Gleeson was awarded the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Highest award – Medal of Honour (Gold) – and also inducted into the South African Sports Journalism Hall of Fame.
The 44th MTN/ SWAG award is being held in the Golden Jubilee Year (50 years) and members of the association have been urged to contribute positively to the event.
About 900 guests including the Minister of Youth & Sport, Director General of the NSA, GOC President and Sports Federation heads are expected to witness the event which has Athletico Madrid top midfielder, Thomas Teye Partey, IBF Lightweight Champion, Richard Commey and former WBO Super Bantamweight Champion, Isaac Dogboe on the list of nominees.
Also gunning for honours are Rafatu Inusah, the Eagles of Ghana Rugby, Mukurama Abdulai who won the FIFA U17 Girls top scorer award, Jessie Lartey, sole Bronze medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and young rising female athlete, Hor Halute who was among the finalists of the 100meters dash at Gold Coast 2018.
By Sammy Heywood Okine