Ajara honoured to vie for SWAG topmost award
Ajara Mohammed, double gold medalist at the 2011 All Africa Games (AAG) has said she feels honoured to be nominated for the Sports Personality of the Year award for 2011 by the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) .
Speaking in an interview, Ajara said “to be mentioned among the three for the top most award was already a great source of pride for me”.
“Even if I don’t win, the nomination alone is good enough for me. It shows that my performance has been monitored by the organizers of the event.” Ajara told the GNA Sports.
Ajara, who won two gold medals in the 400 and 1,500 meter race at the AAG in Maputo, Mozambique, said she was looking forward to win further laurels at international competitions in future.
The gold medalist will however face stiff competition from BBC African Footballer of the Year Andre Dede Ayew and Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Champions league winner Harrison Afful for the top most award.
Ayew and Afful will also vie for the Footballer of the Year award with Black Stars and Udinese midfielder Agyeman Badu.
Nania FC, winners of the 2011 Edition of the FA Cup Competition and well as the Super Cup has been nominated as the Club of the Year, whilst the Black Meteors picks up the National Team of the Year for winning gold medal at the AAG, with James Akwesi Appiah coach of the Black Meteors nominated as the Coach of the Year.
Patrick Obeng, a silver medalist at the AAG and Ajara, two gold medalist at AAG have been nominated as the Male and Female Athletes of the Year respectively, with Opoku Danso Aikings – consistent performer for the national hockey team nominated for the Male Hockey Player of the Year, whilst Grace Mensah takes the nomination for the Female Hockey Player of the Year.
Braimah “Bukom Banku” Kamoko – the number two contender for World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Light Heavy weight title and the WBO- Africa Champion as well as the World Professional Boxing Federation (WPBF) Champion has been nominated as the Professional Boxer Of The Year, whilst joint bronze medalist at the AAG, Solomon Nyarko and Daniel Sam picks the nomination for Badminton Player of Year the Award, with another bronze medalist at the AAG, Fatau Mohamed being nominated for the Tae-Kwondo category.
The Association Chairman of the Year nomination went to Francis Adjetey-Sowah, President of the Ghana and Africa Amputee Football Federation (G/AFF), with swimming prodigy Ophelia Swain picking up the nomination for the Promising Star of the Year, for her performance at the AAG, whilst the Dedication and Valour nomination went to Margaret Simpson – for consistency and dedication to the cause of the nation.
The Beach Volleyball Team – bronze medalists at AAG, Aziz Zakari, one of the longest serving member of the Ghana Athletics team B.B. Bismark a football administrator and a founding member of SWAG have been placed in the Special Awards Category.
SWAG said it will announce the date for the event in due course.
Source: GNA