The GFF president Lamin Kaba on Saturday topped a long list of awardees at the 10th annual award gala of the Sports Journalists’ Association of The Gambia, SJAG. He was voted the sport personality of the year.
Mr Bajo was recognized for his achievements in putting in place a sound football administration at the GFF among other things.
Next came the athlete of the year award, which was won by Omar Colley.
Colley, who joined Sampdoria last summer from Belgian club KRC Genk, is rewarded for his outstanding performances at the one-time Italian Serie A winners and four-time Coppa Italia champions, making 17 appearances so far.
He beat fellow player Musa Barrow of Atalanta and Finnish-based judoka Faye Njie to the award.
Colley, 2017 winner of the same award, was delighted to be the prize taker after two years and says he was honoured to be chosen.
“I’m proud and honoured to be named foreign based athlete of The Gambia for the second time. I would like to thank SJAG, my family, friends, club and supporters all over the world for always being there for me,” he wrote on social media.
In other categories, wrestler Hoyantan of Club Ndongo Ceesay beat footballers Bubacarr Jallow and Adama Tamba of Gamtel FC and Red Scorpions respectively to the best local-based athlete award.
Tamba, the country’s all-time female leading goalscorer, was meanwhile consoled with the best female athlete award beating off competition from volleyballer Abie Kujabi of The Gambia Armed Forces and athlete Ola Buwaro.
The 2018 WAFU U-20 winning team, led by Mattar M’Boge, won the male team of the year ahead of the SK East male volleyball team and Gamtel FC, whose coach, Sulayman Kuyateh, scooped the male coach of the year award ahead of M’Boge and Pa Barrow of the Gambia national beach volleyball team.
National athletics coach Mariama Sallah went home with the female coach of the year award ahead of Chorro Mbenga and Mariama Bom Sowe of Red Scorpions and the Gambia national female football team respectively.
Red Scorpions, led by Chorro, were named the best female team of the year ahead of The Gambia Armed Forces volleyball and beach volleyball teams respectively.
The maiden most outstanding senior school in sports award went to Kinderdorf Bottrop Technical Senior Secondary School while Lamin Jammeh went home with the best referee of the year award, chosen by the GFF’s Referees’ Committee.
There were scores of awards including the SJAG President’s award and achievements awards bestowed on individual and institutions for their contribution or support to sports in The Gambia. Top among these was Modou Turo Darboe of the VDF who has been recognized as the single largest sponsor of the event pumping some D600, 000 to the event in the last two years alone.
The event was attended by First Lady Fatoummata Bah Barrow and Justice minister Ba Tambadou while sports minister Mattar Ba of Senegal topped a high level Senegalese delegation which also included over 30 sports journalists from Senegal.
