The Black Stars duo of Antoine Semenyo and Benjamin Asare emerged as two of the biggest winners at the star-studded 50th Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Awards gala last Saturday night, as Ghana’s finest sporting icons – past and present – were celebrated at the nation’s longest-running awards ceremony.
Staged at the Accra International Conference Centre, the golden jubilee edition delivered an intoxicating mix of glamour, nostalgia and emotional ovations, with the country’s past and present sporting greats gathering under one roof in a glittering celebration of achievement.
Semenyo, the Bournemouth forward enjoying a fine run of form in the English Premier League, clinched the SWAG Male Footballer of the Year (Foreign-Based) award.
Hearts of Oak goalkeeper Benjamin Asare captured the SWAG Male Home-Based Footballer of the Year accolade after a standout domestic campaign.
Both men were absent on the night, having travelled with the Black Stars for their international friendly matches against Japan and South Korea.
The Black Queens also enjoyed a memorable evening, with Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah winning the SWAG Female Footballer of the Year (Foreign-Based) award, while another Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah – recognised separately for her domestic performances – took home the SWAG Female Footballer of the Year (Home-Based) prize for her stellar 2025 season.
Ghana’s male 4x100m relay team was crowned National Team of the Year after a sensational season on the track.
Veteran Sudan national team coach James Kwasi Appiah earned the prestigious Coach of the Year award, reaffirming his status as one of Ghana’s most respected technical brains.
The University for Development Studies (UDS) football team, champions of the 2024 FISU World Championship, received SWAG’s highest honour – the SWAG Football Personality of the Year – after their historic triumph in China.
However, the loudest cheers of the evening were reserved for two men whose names are etched permanently in Ghana’s sporting folklore: Abedi Ayew Pele and Azumah Nelson.
Abedi, three-time African Footballer of the Year and former Black Stars captain, received a rousing ovation as he stepped on stage as one of the 50th SWAG Awards Ambassadors—a full 47 years after he first won a SWAG award as Colts Player of the Year as a teenage prodigy.
Boxing legend Azumah, a three-time world champion and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, was similarly honoured for his unparalleled contribution to the sport.
Joselle Mensah receiving the Swimmer of the Year Award
Nelson, long crowned Boxinghene (King of Boxing), has received virtually every top SWAG honour during his storied career and remains an enduring national treasure.
Other ambassadors named included former Black Stars captains Stephen Appiah, Michael Essien, Kwadwo Asamoah, former Black Queens greats Alberta Sackey and Adjoa Bayor, and retired heptathlete Margaret Simpson.
Former Black Stars captains Asamoah Gyan and André Ayew were among several icons presented with the SWAG Lifetime Achievement Award.
They joined Ghana’s first world boxing champion D.K. Poison (David Kotei), Ibrahim Sunday, Dan Owusu, handball stalwart Beresford Amui, and former Hearts of Oak CEO and Gbese Mantse, Nii Ayibonte II, in receiving the distinguished honour.
The landmark ceremony was graced by the Vice-President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who served as Special Guest of Honour, alongside the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, AIPS President Gianni Merlo, and the heads of sports journalists’ unions from Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Togo and Benin.
In her keynote address, the Vice-President reaffirmed government’s resolve to establish a School Sports Authority to oversee sports from basic to tertiary levels.
The proposed authority will coordinate regular inter-school and inter-university competitions, while strengthening youth talent identification and addressing long-standing infrastructural challenges through a new Fixed Asset Coordinating Unit under the National Sports Authority.
The Sports Minister challenged SWAG to drive a new era of sports journalism—one that supports national development rather than merely fuelling controversy.
Full list of winners
Badminton Player of the Year: Obaponba Adu
Table Tennis Players of the Year: Emmanuel Kummey & James Marfo (joint winners)
Wrestler of the Year: Fuseinu Issah
Hockey Player of the Year: Vivian Nakor
Para Athlete of the Year: Zirnabu Issah
Discoveries of the Year: Yayra Akos Agozi (Female), Michael Agyapong Mensah (Male)
Dedication and Valour Awards: Portia Boakye & Yaw Agyemang
Referee of the Year: Daniel Laryea
Club of the Year: Police Ladies FC
Sport Administrator of the Year: Evans Yeboah
SWAG Sports Journalist of the Year: Bill Eshun
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