Ghana’s Vice President Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman and AIPS President Gianni Merlo attended the 50th SWAG Awards in Accra, where leading athletes and sports figures were honored for their achievements in 2025
Accra | By AIPSMedia
The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) marked its golden jubilee on November 11 with a ceremony at the Accra International Conference Center, bringing together senior government officials, sports administrators and some of the nation’s most celebrated athletes.
The Vice President praised SWAG for five decades of promoting excellence in sports and reaffirmed government plans to establish a School Sports Authority to strengthen talent identification and inter-school competitions. “Investment means continuing our community sports programmes, academies and youth development structures,” she said.
AIPS President Gianni Merlo and SWAG President Kwabena Yeboah joined former world champions, national icons and federation leaders for the event. Among the distinguished guests were football legend Abedi Ayew Pele, three-time world boxing champion Azumah Nelson, World Cup record-holder Asamoah Gyan, Africa’s all-time heptathlete Margaret Simpson and several former and current stars of Ghanaian sport.
Yeboah said the awards had maintained their purpose for 50 years, highlighting the achievements of athletes and inspiring future generations. He appealed for continued support to sustain SWAG’s annual programs.
Several former national icons were named ambassadors for the 50th anniversary, while awards across multiple categories recognized outstanding performances in football, athletics, boxing, badminton, table tennis, weightlifting and swimming. The University of Development Studies football team was selected as Sports Personality of the Year.
Founded in 1968, SWAG is Ghana’s oldest continuous sports awards platform, celebrating athletes across all disciplines and maintaining a key role in promoting sports journalism and sporting excellence nationwide.