This year's Annual National Sports Awards are set to be bigger following the addition of three new categories by the Sports and Recreation Commission.
The awards are scheduled for December 6 at a venue that will be announced at the unveiling of the finalists in the first week of November.
This was revealed by the SRC director general Eltah Nengomasha yesterday on the sidelines of the sport regulatory body's annual meeting in Harare.
"The call for entries is going to be released by October 1 (next week). We have just finalised the categories. We added three new categories including Boxing.
"I have pre-emptied that one but we will comment on it later.
"And, we have also included a category for the corporate sector where we have realised that we have not been acknowledging the corporates that have taken deliberate strategic intentions to come and partner in sport.
"We have also incorporated the Sports Journalist of the Year into those awards in trying to make sure that we acknowledge the work that has been done by the media in raising awareness for the athletes, for the sport codes as they do their activities.
"So, we are excited. But I will not go into detail on the categories."
Nengomasha said preparations for the annual awards to recognise and celebrate outstanding athletes are under-way.
The Sports Commission also released the 2023 ANSA winners over the weekend with Sikandar Raza crowned the Sports-person of the Year.
The awards ceremony was not held last year, and the winners will receive their prizes at this year's event.
"First of all, let me extend my sincere congratulations to all the athletes that made it into the final, to be finalists for the 2023 ANSA.
"We released the results with the intention that the prizes will be awarded at the 2024 ANSA.
"We already have set a date for the 2024 ANSA. It's 6 December 2024 at the venue that will be announced when we unveil the finalists.
"We expect to do the unveiling, the first week of November. Right now, preparations have started to focus on ANSA. Just now we finished the AGM, so all my focus will be on the ANSA 2023, and 2024.
"And we are excited about this ANSA because we have gone into a partnership with an organisation that will assist us to manage the event better."
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Nengomasha appealed to the corporate world to come and partner with the Sports Commission in their efforts to recognise and reward athletes.
"We call for corporates to come on board and partner with us, specifically those corporates that have already been partnering with different sport codes because now we are rewarding athletes.
"It's important that as Zimbabwe we bring our heads together and we reward our athletes and create a platform where their determination, where their commitment, their zeal, their tenacity, their sweat is acknowledged and its recognised and the nation thanks them for representing the country and carrying the national flag.
"So, we are excited and we hope to see all of Zimbabwe, those that can, at the 2024 Annual National Sporting Awards," said Nengomasha.
Annual National Sports Awards 2023 Winners List
Sportsperson of the Year
Sikandar Raza (Cricket)
Junior Sportsperson of the Year
Tinaye Hlangabeza (Special Olympics)
Sportswoman of the Year
- Andy Kuipers (Triathlon)
- Precious Marange (Cricket)
- Christi Rose Pretorius (Judo)
Sportsman of the Year
- Sikandar Raza (Cricket)
- Isaac Mpofu (Athletics)
- Scott Vincent (Golf)
Junior Sportswoman of the Year
- Sasha Chimedza (Tennis)
