Lesotho Annual Sport Awards make glorious return
NTHAKO MAJORO
MASERU – The Lesotho Annual Sport Awards (LASA) are set for a triumphant return after five-year hiatus due to financial constraints following the Covid-19 pandemic. The Lesotho Sport and Recreation Commission (LSRC) officially announced the revival of the awards programme on Tuesday this week.
LASA’s coordinator, ‘Malitsietsi Zwakala, announced that the awards will be returning for their fourth edition, which is set to take on February 28 at the Mojalefa Lephole Hall. “The Lesotho Sport and Recreation Commission is pleased to announce the much anticipated fourth edition of the Lesotho Annual Sport Awards scheduled to take place on February 28 at the Mojalefa Lephole Hall,” said Zwakala at a press conference on Tuesday.
“With the return of the LASA, LSRC is committed to restoring and maintaining the awards as an annual event moving forward, ensuring continued recognition and celebration of Lesotho sporting excellence.”
However, Zwakala said due to constrained preparation time, the fourth edition has seen a reduction in the total number of six award categories, which has now been decreased to 14.
“Due to limited preparation time, the award categories have been reduced from 20 to 14,” she said. “The categories of Newcomer of the Year, Sport Star of the Year, Sport Legacy Award, National Federation of the Year, Sport School of the Year and the Presidential Award have been omitted from this edition, but they will be reinstated in future editions.”
Zwakala said nomination deadline for the awards was on Wednesday this week, with the evaluation process taking place from the same day until today (February 21).
“The winners will be nominated for the RASA immediately after the event on February 28,” Zwakala said. The LASA’s coordinator further said the winners will receive trophies, certificates and prize money. “This year’s LASA will also honour the Region 5 award recipients whose names will be revealed during the event,” Zwakala said.
Lesotho’s taekwondo star, Michelle Tau, was named the 2024 RASA Sportswoman of the Year, becoming the first local athlete to win the regional award in the six years since its inception.
LASA were first introduced in 2017 following the Inaugural Sport Legacy Awards that were held in 2016, which were dedicated to honouring legends in various sporting disciplines, including National Federation (NF) pioneers, administrators, athletes and umpires.
With the introduction of LASA, the award categories expanded and winners were nominated to the prestigious Regional Sport Awards (RASA). The awards (LASA) were successfully hosted until the third edition in 2019, but financial constraints following the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the fourth edition until now.
