By Jon Develos

Copyright tribune

DAVAO CITY — The Southern Sports Digest in cooperation with the Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) will be honoring the best athletes, coaches, and sports organizations around the Davao region in the 2025 Sports Heroes Night this Sunday at the grand ballroom of The Royal Mandaya Hotel here.Four major awards will be presented — the Sports Hero of the Year for the male and female category, the Coach of the Year and the National Sports Association (NSA) of the Year — in this glittery affair that will start at 6 p.m.Taking the Sports Hero of the Year plum is Chino Sy Tancontian while the Female Sports Hero of the Year awardee is his sister, Sydney Sy Tancontian of the Pilipinas Sambo Federation Inc. (PSFI), following their spectacular performances in 2024 until the first quarter of 2025.Also emerging as Coach of the Year is Pilipinas Sambo national mentor Ace Larida while the PSFI, under the leadership of its president Paolo Tancontian, will be presented with the NSA of the Year award.“We will be honoring sports heroes (homegrown talents) and those who have helped and contributed to the development of sports from the Davao Region, from the past and the present,” Southern Sports Digest editor Leonard Paul Palo said during the DSA Forum on Thursday.Expected to grace the affair were guests from the Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission, the City Sports Development Division Office, the Davao City Council, the Dabaw City Sports Council and the City Government of Davao.“This will be the first sports awards that will be held in collaboration with the Davao Sportswriters Association that was founded 30 years ago. With the help of various groups and organizations, we hope to be more inclusive in our list of awardees in the coming years,” Palo added.