Abiodun Adewale of NewsNow secured the distinguished 2023 International Sports Press Association Africa Award for being the leading sports journalist in the print category across the continent, according to NewsNow reports.
Additionally, NewsNow’s Ebenezer Bajela was among the top three finalists, alongside a Senegalese journalist.
The award ceremony took place at Abidjan Press House, Plateau, coinciding with the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Adewale’s winning piece, titled ‘Olusosun: Defying the odds, Lagos slum rises above filth, produces Africa’s football king’, outshone the other two nominees.
The winning story shed light on the challenging and modest beginnings of the current African Player of The Year, Victor Osimhen, in the Lagos community. It narrated his triumph over the health and environmental threats posed by the nearby dumpsite, propelling him to become one of the world’s top footballers of his generation.
Accepting the award on Thursday night in Abidjan on behalf of the winner, Femi Fabunmi of The News Guru, conveyed, “Abiodun Adewale couldn’t be here for one reason or the other, but he has informed me to represent him here. So, on his behalf, I express gratitude to AIPS, AGL, and everyone involved.”
Nominations were evaluated based on the criteria of quality, originality, relevance, creativity, and professional ethics in French, English, Arabic, and Portuguese languages.
Africa Global Logistics, a key partner of the Confederation of African Football for the 2023 AFCON, was the primary sponsor of the award.