The country’s biggest female athletes are set to be feted at the Women in Sports Awards on 15 March at the Century Park Hotel.
Sports commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo said this year is expected to be bigger with 140 awardees being recognized.
Last year’s event saw 50 awardees being honored at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Alex Eala of tennis and Sarina Bolden of football were feted as the first Athletes of the Year while Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz of weightlifting and the late Lydia de Vega of athletics were given the Flame Award and Lifetime Achievement Award, respectively.
“We have about 140 awardees and citations that we’re giving. We also have our Athlete of the Year, which I cannot divulge who and we have also our different achievers, like the Flame Awards,” Coo said.
“We have a lot of awardees from the different sports. That’s why we’re happy and they all responded and I hope they will all come to receive their awards.”
Expected to banner this year’s Women in Sports Awards are Paris Olympians such as Samantha Catantan of fencing, Lauren Hoffman of athletics, Joanie Delgaco of rowing, and Hergie Bacyadan, Aira Villegas, and Nesthy Petecio of boxing.
Rubilen Amit of billiards, who won the Flame Award last year, is also expected to be feted after winning both the Women’s Challenge of Champions and the Las Vegas Women’s Open in early March.