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A SPORTING competition of any nature needs to be spiced by awards which, in the end, reward excellence apart from the results and that recognition would be on the part of the athletes, technical officials and administrators.
Rewarding excellence across the globe is not limited to sport alone.
It is common in showbiz industries of film and music where they stage Grammy Awards, which have stood the test of time and have yet captured the imagination of the global audience.
Closer to home, there are events like the National Arts Merit Awards and the Castle Soccer Stars of the Year, which have been on the radar for over decades as a regular feature on the domestic football calendar.
It is not uncommon to see a Soccer Stars calendar dangling in many a homes, barber shops and other public spaces, including supermarkets.
The Castle Soccer Stars, just like the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ), the Zimbabwe Netball Association (ZINA) and the Zimbabwe Cricket awards have been restricted to just their respective disciplines.
But there has been a glaringly missing link in Zimbabwean sport.
And that missing was the Annual Sports Awards staged by the country’s sport regulatory body, the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), which cater for all sports codes.
After a four-year hiatus, the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) is proud to announce the return of Zimbabwe’s premier recognition platform for sporting excellence.
This highly-anticipated event will once again celebrate the outstanding achievements of athletes, teams, coaches, administrators and media personnel who have raised the nation’s sporting flag high.
The last edition of ANSA was held in 2020 before the world was abruptly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ensuing restrictions and global uncertainty significantly affected the sports industry, leading to the unavoidable suspension of the awards.
As the sporting world slowly regained momentum post-pandemic, the SRC took a strategic decision to redefine and elevate the ANSA experience, ensuring that when the awards returned, they would truly be worthy of their stature as Zimbabwe’s most prestigious sporting honours.
As part of this grand return, the unveiling of nominees today will serve as the first step in rekindling and repositioning the ANSA legacy.
The 2024 ANSA will not only recognise the best of the best in Zimbabwean sport, but will also set a new benchmark for celebrating sporting achievement.
The theme “Setting the Gold Standard” clearly speaks to our intention of making this event the pinnacle of sporting recognition.
This year’s event promises an enhanced format, greater stakeholder involvement, and a renewed commitment to honouring excellence in a manner befitting our nation’s top sporting talents.
The awards ceremony, set for the end of this month, will also include a special tribute to the 2023 winners, acknowledging their remarkable contributions despite the absence of a formal awards ceremony.
For today, let us celebrate the step forward towards the return of the big one.
We are honoured to be in this moment and to have each one of you coming through to be with us as we mark this important milestone.
As we reported yesterday, the awards have returned with some changes and innovations aimed at ensuring that they retain their place as the pinnacle in terms of rewarding Zimbabwean athletes.
This year’s awards will run under the theme “Setting the gold standard” and we believe if all at SRC and their stakeholders pull in one direction, the ANSA will indeed become a world class event.
Among these is the addition of a ‘People’s Choice’ award which is set to make its debut at this year’s edition and will feature 15 athletes from 12 local disciplines.
And that voting for the People’s choice will be done online demonstrates the SRC’s adaptability to the changing times in which fan engagement has largely gone digital.
Online Reporter