Thirty-two finalists for the prestigious 2022 SP Sports Awards (SPSA) have been announced
yesterday in Port Moresby.
After a week of deliberation, the SPSA Selection Panel has reached an agreement for the top three
finalists for each of the 11 categories on offer in this year’s awards.
“Despite the effects of COVID, we once again had a high-quality field,” said Warwick Vele,
the Chairperson of the SPSA Selection Panel.
“It was great to see the efforts and achievements of our sportsmen and women, coaching
staff, officials and administrators to get our athletes back into their respective sporting
arenas.”
He added that the efforts put into community sports and the good these initiatives have
done was especially pleasing.
The finalists, in alphabetical order, for the SP Sports Awards are:
| Category | Finalist | Sport |
|
Male Athlete of the Year |
Baru Morea | Weightlifting |
| Johnson Alex | Rugby League | |
| Olam Justin | Rugby League | |
|
Female Athlete of the Year |
Albert Elsie | Rugby League |
| Kaputin Rellie | Athletics | |
| Toua Dika | Weightlifting | |
| Team of the Year | Lae Snax Tigers | Rugby League |
| Papuan Compound Ravens | Rugby Union | |
| Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited PNG Barramundis | Cricket | |
| National Performance of the Year | NEST Athletics Club | Athletics |
| Papuan Compound Ravens | Rugby Union | |
| Waghi Tumbe | Rugby League | |
| Community Sports Initiative Award | Hook in4 Health | Hockey PNG |
| Inclusive GymBad Program | Gymnastics and Badminton | |
| League Bilong Laif | PNG NRL | |
| Junior Male Athlete of the Year | Hakena Sugar-Ray | Tennis PNG |
| Porter Joshua | Squash PNG | |
| Junior Female Athlete of the Year | Alarcos Amity | Squash PNG |
| Hakena Colita | Tennis PNG | |
| Merimba Ursula | Nokondi Triathlon Club, Goroka | |
| Best Sports Person with a Disability | Leva Nelly | Para Sports |
| Marados Morea | Para Sports | |
| Otoase Raphael | Special Olympics | |
|
Sports Official of the Year |
Sibona Margeret | Cricket PNG |
| Stone Nelson | NEST Athletics Club | |
| Yareboinen David | PNG Football Association | |
|
Sports Photo of the Year |
Keamo Patricia | The National Newspaper |
| Keslep Simon | Post Courier | |
| Wasari Fidelis | Sports Tok Magazine | |
| Sports Media of the Year | EMTV Sports | Media Niugini Limited |
| Paul Taumik Jnr | NBC Sports | |
| The National Newspaper Sports Desk | The National Newspaper |
The announcement of the finalists marks the opening of SMS voting for the People’s Choice Award.
The winner of the People’s Choice Award is selected through a public vote, using FM100’s SMS voting platform. The more votes a finalist gets, the more chances of them winning.
Candidates for this category come from four finalists of the following.
Male Athlete of the Year
Female Athlete of the Year
Team of the Year
National Performance of the Year
Voting for the People’s Choice Award category will close on 25thMay, 2022.
The Awards Presentation will be hosted virtually from the home of the SPSA, Crowne Hotel, on Saturday 28th May 2022. It will be streamed live to the people of Papua New Guinea on the SP Sports Facebook page.
