Pacquiao, Osaka named top Asian athletes

Ronaldo Nazario, three-time FIFA Player of the Year and current chair of LaLiga squad Real Villadolid, presents Manny Pacquiao’s Asian Sportsman of the Year trophy. (SPIA Facebook)

Senator Manny Pacquiao and Naomi Osaka were named Asian Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year by the Sports Industry Awards (SPIA) Asia at the Grand Hyatt Manila in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

While Typhoon “Tisoy” was raging outside on 3 December, sports and tourism personalities and officials converged to recognize their colleagues.

Pacquiao, who turns 41 on 17 December, started 2019 by retaining the WBA (Regular) welterweight title via a 12-round unanimous decision over Adrien Broner in Las Vegas, Nevada in January.

Six months later in the same venue, boxing’s only eight-division world champion won the WBA (Super) welterweight crown via a 12-round split decision over Keith Thurman.

Pacquiao narrowly beat Tottenham football superstar Son Heung-min of South Korea for the honor.

Current tennis world No. 3 Osaka, a two-time Grand Slam winner, is the first Asian to hold the No. 1 ranking after she won the 2018 US Open against Serena Williams.

The 22-year-old Haitian-Japanese then added the 2019 Australian Open to her major collection.

Similarly feted was gymnast Carlos Yulo, who won the 30th Southeast Asian Games gold medals in the All-Around and Floor Exercise as well as silver medals in five other events, and Victor Cui, founder of One Championship which had since become a billion-dollar entertainment and media company.

The Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) was likewise recognized with a special excellence award (not as Best SEA Games Organizer as erroneously reported by other media outlets) for its efforts in the Philippine hosting of the biennial Games.

PHISGOC chair and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano received the honor from SPIA Asia chief executive officer Eric Gottschalk.

“Every year, SPIA Asia recognizes the special contributions and achievements of our host country—we’ve done it before in Bangkok, Thailand, and it’s no different this year in the Philippines,” Gottschalk said.

“The promise of staging more games and presenting a grander scale was reiterated in SPIA Asia 2018 by PHISGOC. Finally, we all saw this promise fulfilled this year during the breathtaking opening ceremony of the 30th SEA Games.”

Gottschalk said the recognition will serve as an inspiration for other nations to “plan ahead and stay true to their long-term plans for future SEA Games endeavors.”

Football legend Ronaldo Nazario, simply known as Ronaldo to fans, was awarded the “Sport & Beyond” Award, an honor to celebrate his career as a legendary footballer as well as his accomplishments beyond the football pitch.

The three-time FIFA Footballer of the Year, two-time winner of the Ballon d’Or and three-time winner of the FIFA World Cup was a goal-scoring machine for Brazil on the international stage and for club teams like FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid CF, A.C. Milan and Corinthians.

Following his retirement from competition, “El Fenomeno” went back to study marketing and receive his degree before becoming the majority owner of Real Valladolid in 2018.

James and Phil Younghusband (center) receive their trophies. (SPIA Facebook)

Other Filipino awardees were brothers Phil and James Younghusband who were recognized as “Philippine Sports Personalities,” a recognition given to Filipinos for their personal achievements and contributions that have impacted the masses in ways beyond just sport.

Phil recently retired from international football after 109 national team appearances and 52 goals.

The Best Mass Participation Event in the Philippines was given to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority for the National Milo Marathon while Honda Philippines won Best Sponsorship of Sport, Team, Individual, Venue, or Event in the Philippines for the Honda Philippines Nationwide Tour.

Meanwhile, the Football 7s Youth Program was awarded Best Youth Sports Development Program in the Philippines.