JOHANNESBURG – Top reaching girls in sports activities had been honoured at the Momentum gsport Awards on Wednesday.

The seventeenth version of Africa’s longest-running girls’s sport recognition platform noticed Cato Louw defend her crown when she gained the Woman in Radio Award for the second yr in a row.

The awards had been held at Wanderers, in Johannesburg on the first in-person event since the begin of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It’s a wonderful confirmation of the work you’re doing. I feel excited and seen. This job, as much as your voice is out there and people hear it, they don’t necessarily see the behind-the-scenes work and the hours that go into making a bulletin or story come to life,” stated Louw.

tenth Award : Woman in Radio!

Radio presenter @catolouw defends her title as she wins the 2022 Woman in Radio award! Louw is a rugby anchor on @SuperSportTV and the voice behind @EWNsport bulletins on @KFMza and Cape Talk. #gsport17 #SheOwnsHerSuccess #PowerOfRecognition pic.twitter.com/VOHYEn6B5i

gsport4girls (@gsport4girls) September 14, 2022

Louw is a sports activities anchor on EWN, Kfm and CapeTalk radio stations and a TremendousSport rugby presenter and has additionally anchored tournaments similar to Varsity Cup, SA Schools and the Currie Cup, amongst others.

“Radio doesn’t sleep. So public holidays, long weekends and Christmas, Easter whatever – we work during those times even when you don’t switch on the radio and the award is just a like a massive ‘high five’ and recognition of that time that you’ve given up to do what you love,” stated Louw.

She gained the 2021 Momentum gsport Award’s Woman in Radio winner and this yr defended her crown in opposition to Thobela FM’s Conny Matjila and Ligwalagwala FM’s Xolile Mabuza.

The girl in radio award recognises a girl in sports activities, who’s utilizing her voice to advertise girls’s sports activities content material on radio and demonstrates a convincing edge as a radio journalist.

Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture @NathiMthethwaSA addressing the finalists and visitors at the 2022 @momentumza gsport Awards. #gsport17#SheOwnsHerSuccess#PowerOfRecognition pic.twitter.com/7veO41eJtV

gsport4girls (@gsport4girls) September 14, 2022

“I believe it’s just plain old consistency. Day in and day out I maintain the same quality bulletins and stories. I make sure to treat women’s sport the same as men’s sport in terms of ‘importance’ – for example if Banyana Banyana has a squad release, I cover it the same way as one would traditionally cover a Bafana Bafana squad release. I think the combination of these things – along with great reporting from my colleagues at Eyewitness News Sport – that I’ve been able to win this award again,” stated Louw.

This yr, Louw was a double finalist as she additionally featured in the TremendousSport Woman in TV award class.

#FBF Thank you @Momentum_za for making a fascinating expertise for girls in sport to personal their success, once more! #gsport17 #SheOwnsHerSuccess #PowerOfRecogntion pic.twitter.com/fPnvyNaVa1

gsport4girls (@gsport4girls) September 16, 2022

When requested about the boundaries girls in sports activities face and what may be executed to interrupt them down, Louw stated the one large equalizer will at all times be cash.

“One of the large boundaries will at all times be funds. Women’s sports activities – groups or people – want cash to have the ability to compete persistently in opposition to the high groups in the world in order to change into higher. We are behind in South Africa in regard to the enterprise of girls’s sports activities and monetary backing from sponsors is required, persistently. Not a once-off or solely each 4 years when a World Cup or Olympics comes round.”

Louw who hails from Hogsback, in the Eastern Cape started her sports activities journey at Stellenbosch as a presenter on the campus station – MFM 92.6.

Her parting shot is that we have to take the threat and provides girls in sports activities extra protection.

“For me, it’s a choice I make in the newsroom to cover any national women’s team/individual like I would any men’s national team – but I’m one person. This should be the norm across all newsrooms in all forms of broadcasting. It’s a small step, but if journalists and media houses just automatically start covering it like that, instead of pushing it to the side because it’s not the ‘Big 3’ (which is men’s rugby, cricket and soccer) and not as ‘commercially viable’ or it doesn’t have the same reach, we are never going to get there.

“We need to take the ‘risk’ of covering women’s sport and make it a normal occurrence in sports bulletins/stories to help it grow which in turn will assist in making it less ‘risky’ and more commercially attractive down the line – as it is in more developed countries,” stated Louw.

About final evening 👗…

Shout out to @gsport4girls and @Momentum_za for championing this trigger and the different sponsors who’ve thrown their weight behind it. A ravishing celebration of phenomenal girls 👏🏾. To be heard, seen, valued and acknowledged. #Gsport17 #SheOwnsHerSuccess pic.twitter.com/E0ikEzm9Py

— Andee (@AndeeM_) September 15, 2022

The sports activities presenter shared the stage with different high girls in sports activities like South Africa’s golden lady Lara van Niekerk gained scooped three gsport awards : the Momentum Athlete of the Year, Sasol Global Woman in Sport and a Minister’s award.

More than 200 winners have been honoured since the inception of gsport awards – based in 2006 by Kass Naidoo and Ryk Meiring.

“People typically ask how we handle to unearth new icons and function fashions on the stage yearly — the reply is straightforward. We are constant about telling the story of girls’s sports activities in the gsport newsroom,” stated Naidoo at the awards.

Priding itself in being South Africa’s solely 24/7 supplier of girls’s sports activities protection in South Africa, gsport for women is an internet platform searching for to deal with the gender hole in sports activities media.

nineteenth Award

The 2022 Emerging Athlete of the Year is Phiwokuhle Mnguni. The first feminine boxer to win a bronze medal for South Africa at the Commonwealth Games! #gsport17 #SheOwnsHerSuccess #PowerOfRecognition

Phiwokuhles father collects the award on her behalf pic.twitter.com/IiWcfWzsSQ

gsport4girls (@gsport4girls) September 14, 2022

All i’ve to say is, thanks #gsport17 #PowerOfRecognition #SheOwnsHerSuccess pic.twitter.com/BwRBH3aaPI

Nakedi (@Nkinki_) September 15, 2022

2022 gsport Award winners

Volunteer of the Year: Shamila Sulayman

Federation of the Year: SA Sport for Physically Disabled

Supporter of the Year: Nakedi Thlathla

Sponsor of the Year: Hollywoodbets

Special Recognition Award recipient: Dorah Vuyelwa Mungwevu

Hall of Fame Inductee: Marian Marescia

Woman in PR and Sponsorship: Maphuti Hlako

Woman in Print: Mpumi Manyisi

Woman in Social Media: Jessica Nkomo

Woman in Radio: Cato Louw

Woman in Television: Nono Cele

Woman of the Year: Bongiwe Msomi

Coach of the Year: Desiree Ellis

Team of the Year Winner: Banyana Banyana

African Woman in Sport Award: Akhona Makalima

Global Woman in Sport Award: Lara van Niekerk

School Sports Star of the Year: Lesedi Khunou

Emerging Athlete of the Year: Phiwokuhle Mnguni

Para Sport Star of the Year: Anrune Weyers

Public Choice Award winner: Hildah Magaia

Athlete of the Year: Lara van Niekerk

An enormous congratulations to all the winners eventually nights @gsport4girls Awards

Special point out to my SS women @Nono_Cele @catolouw @Amanda_Dlamini9; so happy with yall!

Sending love to those profitable queens as properly; @Auntydiski @maphuti_africa @BongiweMsomi2 @flexmpumi

Motshidisi E. Mohono (@MotshidisiM) September 15, 2022