NMG Sports Desk continues its African conquest with top awards

The Nation Media Group (NMG) Sports Desk has again proved its prowess in sports journalism by dominating African rankings in the 2022 International Sports Press Association (AIPS) Sport Media Awards.

Five journalists from the largest independent media house in East and Central Africa made the top 10 cut in different categories of the Awards which celebrate exemplary sports reporting by global sports journalists.

Among those making the continent’s top 10 in various awards are sports photojournalist Sila Kiplagat, Jane Ngige and Eldoret-based Stephen Keter.
Idah Waringa, who has since left NMG, was also recognized for the work she did while at NTV while Elias Makori, the Lead Editor, Sports and Integration Projects, also made the top 10 in one of the categories.

The Awards received a total of 1,830 submissions from 138 different nationalities across different forms of media.

Kiplagat, also the 2022 Kenya Sports Journalist of the Year, made the cut in two categories – finishing top in Young Reporters Photography and sixth in the Photography Sport Action.

Under the Young Reporters Photograph, he entered a picture of the steeplechase water splash during the 2022 Kip Keino Classic.

"It is a great joy to be named among the best in Africa. Such achievements are what motivates one to keep working hard. I think I am now more motivated to strive to be the best," said Sila.

He had emerged top in the same category of the 2021 AIPS Sport Media Awards and was ranked ninth globally in the 2022 AIPS Media Awards.

Keter, who is based at NMG’s Eldoret bureau, also made the top 10 in two categories – finishing ninth and seventh in the Video Short Feature and Young Reporters (Broadcasting) categories, respectively.

In the two categories, he entered the story titled: “Waliobobea, Meet Tecla Chemabwai, Kenya’s first female Olympian" focusing on the trailblazing athlete.
He said that he was motivated to do the story “because Chemabwai is such an inspiration to the upcoming athletes, especially women."

Waringa's story titled 'Ekuru's Voice of Hope " that ran on NTV was fifth in the Video Documentary category, while Ngige’s story about “The Making of Ferdinand Omanyala” that also aired on NTV emerged 10th in the same category.

Makori was third overall on the continent in the Writing (best column) category, courtesy of his weekly column Business of Sport article titled: “He’s superhuman…let’s name city’s new motorway ‘Eliud Kipchoge Expressway’.
In the article published on September 27, 2022, Makori calls for the naming of the 27-kilometre Nairobi Expressway - that slices through the capital city - after Kipchoge, as a way of celebrating the marathoner’s achievement and also to motivate other athletes.

"The Nation Media Group is taking convergence seriously and the various wins across our print and electronic properties is testimony to the fact that we are heading in the right direction at the integrated NMG Sports Desk. This is just the beginning of many exciting deliveries to come as we set the pace in African sports journalism and storytelling," said Makori on the latest achievement by the desk.