Organisers of the maiden Newstap/SWAN Five Star Sports Award have announced the five eminent Nigerians that will receive the award.

Prominent among them is the Executive Governor of Benue State, Reverend  Father Hycinth Alia as well as the President of NPFL side Kunle Soname.
Others are; Chairman of Benue FA, Barrister Paul Edeh, Mr. Ebi Egbe, Chief Executive Officer, Monimichelle Group and Strategic Partners of NPFL, GTI Assets Management and Trust Limited.
According to a statement by the organisers, signed by Editor of Newstap Communications, Ifeanyi Eduzor and Secretary General of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Ikenna Okonkwo, the five awardees were carefully selected based on their track record in sports development noting that the five stood out among the numerous nominees submitted  for the award.

"In arriving  at the awardees, we took a lot of things into consideration. Although many names came up  for consideration but after taking cognizance of  the passion, commitment and immense contributions of these eminent Nigerians  to the development of sports in the country, we concluded that nobody is better qualified than them to be bestowed with the Five Star Sports Award.

"We believe that this award which is the first of it's kind in the history of sports awards in the country will not only encourage the awardees to do more for the upliftment of the country's sports ecosystem but will also challenge others to put in their best towards ensuring that Nigerian sports gets better,” concluded the statement.

The award ceremony will come up in Lagos on February 27th, 2025.