PSA honors achievers in unique virtual setup

MANILA, Philippines — For the first time in its storied history, the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) will be staging its Annual Awards Night via virtual event owing to the current pandemic situation.

The affair is set March 27, with only a limited number of guests allowed at the TV5 Media Center studio, while the rest of the awardees and attendees will be hooked up online.

While the whole of sports wasn’t spared by COVID-19, there were a few number of Filipino athletes who still managed to rise above adversities and give the country something to cheer about in this time of despair.

Highlight of the unique but special event backed by San Miguel Corp. and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) is the awarding of the coveted Athlete of the Year trophy, which is exclusively handed out by the country’s oldest media organization led by President Tito Talao, sports editor of the Manila Bulletin.

The other regular awards handed out in the yearly affair will also be presented such as the Executive of the Year, President’s Award, National Sports Association (NSA) of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Major honorees in various sports are likewise included in the short honor roll as well as a handful of citations and special recognitions to people and entities which kept Philippine sports going in mankind’s darkest hour.

The hour-long program will be covered by Cignal TV to be hosted by Gretchen Ho and Carlo Pamintuan.

Last year, Team Philippines was the recipient of the Athlete of the Year honor in the aftermath of the country’s successful campaign during the 30th Southeast Asian Games, where the Philippines emerged overall champion only for the second time in its 43-year campaign in the biennial meet.

The Awards Night was held at the historic Manila Hotel on March 6, a week before the entire Luzon area was put under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) following the outbreak of the pandemic.