Who is who at MTN-SWAG Awards tonight?

The MTN-SWAG Awards, Ghana’s premier event which honours outstanding sports personalities and institutions, comes off this evening when stakeholders from the sports fraternity and representatives of  corporate institutions converge on the Banquet Hall, State House, for honours.

In all, about 25 awards are to be handed out to distinguished individuals and organisations, with Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan, Andre Dede Ayew and Harrison Afful vying for the Male Footballer of the Year award.

Gyan came this far after dishing out some memorable performances at the Brazil 2014 World Cup where he scored two great goals to become the continent’s all-time top scorer in World Cup history.

Undoubtedly, Afful’s impressive and uninterrupted season with Tunisian club Esperance where he scored some very important goals in the CAF Champions League, as well as his stints with the senior national team also placed him in a pole position for the award. Swansea midfielder Andre Dede Ayew’s performance with French Ligue 1 side, Olympique Marseille, and his classy display at the World Cup in Brazil also make him a potential winner of the prestigious prize at the 40th edition of the SWAG Awards.

Unlike previous editions, the flagship Sports Personality of the Year award will not feature this time round, hence the euphoria around the Male Footballer of the Year award.

Another area of focus will be the race for the First Capital Plus Premier League Player of the Year, which has Kotoko’s Abeiku Ainooson, former Kotoko player Kwabena Adusei and former Bechem United star Augustine Okrah in contention.

  In the other disciplines, young female athlete Martha Bissah will be honoured with the Discovery of the Year and Athlete of the Year awards for her gold-winning feat at the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China. The award for Dedication and Valour goes to the coach of the national amputee football team, Ali Jahraa, with FIFA referee Joseph Odarlai Lamptey receiving the Referee of the Year award.

Talented taekwondo star, Sharon Akwei, takes the Promising Star of the Year award, while Sekondi Hasaacas’ female football prodigy, Jennifer Cudjoe, receives the Female Footballer of the Year prize.

 Umar Abdul Walid takes the award for being the Amateur Boxer of the Year while Professional Boxer of the Year goes to Richard Commey.

Other winners are Razak Abugri, Judoka of the Year, and Elizabeth Opoku, Hockey Player of the Year.