LG renews sponsorship for SJAK Player of the Month awards

LG Managing Director for East Africa Dong Won Lee (left) and SJAK president James Waindi after renewing their partnership on Monday in Nairobi. [SJAK]

LG Electronics (LG) East Africa has signed a new one-year sponsored deal with Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) for the prestigious Sports Personality of the Month Award (SPOM) covering the period January - December, 2024.

This is the ninth year running that the electronics manufacturer is partnering with SJAK), the organisers of the monthly award.

During the official signing of the 2024 contract on Monday, LG's Managing Director for East Africa, Dong Won Lee, underscored the objective of the partnership, which he noted, "has contributed to the growth of sport across the country."

Winners of the monthly awards will take home a variety of LG home appliances and entertainment systems, including washing machines, refrigerators, state-of-the-art televisions, and many more, Lee revealed. As part of the deal, LG Electronics will also run sports-related Community Social Responsibility (CSR) programs.

"Many of the LG sports personality award recipients have gone on to conquer the world. A good example is the late Kevin Kiptum, whom we awarded in April last year, and he later broke Eliud Kipchoge's record. Eliud also shattered the world marathon record after receiving this award," Lee said.

LG's long-standing partnership with SJAK started in 2015 with the now defunct "KPL Footballer of Month Awards."

On his part, SJAK president James Waindi said: "We are always grateful to partner with LG in rewarding top-tier sports personalities over the last nine years. Within this period, we have managed to reward many trailblazing athletes, among them Angela Okutoyi who went on to become the first Kenyan grand slam winner, and rewarded several other athletes in little known sports."

He added: "As we renew this long-standing partnership, we are determined to not only promote talent across all media platforms, but also make sports more appealing to current and budding players across the country. This is as sport continues to be an essential vehicle for socio-economic transformation."

Since the introduction of the award, the SPOM has awarded Kenya's trailblazing athletes and emerging stars like Aldrine Kibet, who went on to join the Nastic Academy in Spain after being spotted in the 2023 National Secondary School games in Kakamega, where his double helped St Anthony's Boys Kitale School lift the title.

Also recognised is the trailblazing Junior WRC star McRae Kimathi, who became the first ever Kenyan to finish a rally on snow and ice during the 2022 WRC race in Sweden. McRae's towering performance saw him finish the 2022 WRC3 category in an incredible third position, and fourth in the overall Junior WRC.

Other winners include Africa's fastest Man Ferdinand Omanyala, African rally champion Karan Patel, marathoner Hellen Obiri, basketball player Taylor Ongwae Okari, Olympics marathon champions Peres Jepchirchir, 'Hit Squad' national team boxer Elly Ajowi, US women's basketball star Reynolds Victoria, and star athlete Beatrice Chebet.