The cream of the crop of Philippine sports in the year just passed will be feted in a celebration like no other with the staging of the 2023 edition of the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Annual Awards Night on Monday, Jan. 29, at the grand ballroom of the Diamond Hotel.

Asian record holder and world no. 2 pole vaulter Ernest John ‘EJ’ Obiena is the biggest star of the night as the sole recipient of the prestigious Athlete of the Year Award exclusively handed out by the country’s oldest media organization.

Led by PSA president Nelson Beltran, sports editor of The Philippine Star, the sports writing fraternity is going to honor a total of 140 awardees in what is considered the biggest Awards Night in the 75-year history of the association.

The country’s top sports officials led by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richard Bachmann and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham Tolentino will lead the entire sports community in toasting the athletes, personalities, and entities who did the country proud and did well in their respective fields during the previous year.

Gilas Pilipinas, which brought pride and immense joy to this basketball-crazy nation after ending a 61-year of waiting in winning the Asian Games gold medal, is also going to be a huge part of the festivity as it will be bestowed the President’s Award, while the Philippine women’s national football team that made a historic debut in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, will be recognized with the ‘Golden Lady Booters’ Special Award.

Also lending their precious time to join the celebration are two of the country’s top businessmen and sportsmen in SMC President and CEO Ramon S. Ang and First Pacific Company Chairman and CEO Manny V. Pangilinan, who are both going to be honored as Executives of the Year for working hand in hand in the successful hosting of the FIBA World Cup and regaining the valuable basketball gold during the 19th Asiad in Hangzhou, China.

The leading sports entertainment gateway in the country, ArenaPlus, presents the traditional Awards Night which also has the PSC, POC, MILO, PLDT/Smart, and Cignal as major sponsors, and backed by the Philippine Basketball Association, Premier Volleyball League, Rain or Shine, and 1-Pacman Partylist Rep. Mikee Romero.

Adding nostalgia for the night is the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to basketball legends Allan Caidic and the late Avelino ‘Samboy’ Lim, and champion coaches Dante Silverio, Joe Lipa, and Arturo Valenzona.

Asiad gold medal winners Margarita ‘Meggie’ Ochoa and Annie Ramirez lead the recipients of Major Awards, while the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and Jiu-Jitsu Federation of the Philippines (JJFP) are co-winners of the National Sports Associations (NSAs) of the Year.

There are also Special Awards to be given to outstanding individuals such as PBA seven-time MVP June Mar Fajardo (Mr. Basketball), Creamline stalwart Diana Mae ‘Tots’ Carlos (Ms. Volleyball), Filipinas star forward Sarina Bolden (Ms. Football), and net sensation Alex Eala (Ms. Tennis).

Gold medalists in the Hangzhou Asiad and Cambodia Southeast Asian Games as well as their counterparts in the Asiad and ASEAN Para Games banner a long list of awardees to be cited during the formal gathering, which will also hand out the regular Tony Siddayao Awards and the MILO ‘Gold’ Grit, and Glory Award.’

Veteran sports analyst and columnist Quinito Henson and Denise Tan act out as the host of the night.

Registration starts at 6 p.m. The PSA is reminding all awardees and guests who failed to personally receive a hard copy of their respective invitations to instead get it directly at the registration table of the venue during the program.