Photo of Singapore footballer Song Ui-young scoring goal shortlisted for World Sports Photography Awards 2023
The photo was captured by Singapore photographer Stefanus Ian.
A photograph of Singapore men’s senior football team forward Song Ui-young scoring a goal has been shortlisted by the World Sports Photography Awards 2023.
The image was captured by Stefanus Ian, a Commercial and Sports Photographer and Videographer who works with the Football Association of Singapore.
The photo was captured in June last year, when Singapore took on Kyrgyzstan in an Asian Cup qualifying match. The goal was scored by the then Lion City Sailors in the 55th minute of the match, which the Lions lost 2-1.
The World Sports Photography Awards is the world’s biggest sports photography competition. Professional and semi-professional sports photographers can submit their entries in 24 categories, including winter sports, football, basketball, tennis and motorsports.
Last year’s overall winner was an image of a butterfly resting on tennis player Naomi Osaka’s fingertips at the 2021 Australian Open, captured by Australian sports photographer David Gray.
This year’s competition has seen a record number of entries from 775 photographers from 70 countries around the world.
The awards will be judged by senior international figures from sport, media, brands and photography. These include former England women’s player Eni Aluko, Sport Bild Germany picture editor Henning Bangen and BBC TV and Radio presenter Jason Mohammad.
Other shortlisted photos in the football category this year include a photo of Brazil forward Neymar in tears after the Selecao was knocked out of the 2022 World Cup, Lionel Messi’s crowning moment at the 2022 World Cup, and Messi’s holding up the World Cup trophy on one hand while perched on the shoulders of Sergio Aguero while being mobbed by fans and photographers.
Announcing the news on his Instagram account, Stefanus said that he was “stoked” to have his photo shortlisted for the award, and that he was glad to have “made the cut during the World Cup year.”
A former stringer for Agence France-Presse (AFP), Stefanus has over a decade of experience in sports photography. He previously also worked as a reporter for Red Sports for nine years.
He told Youthopia that he was “immensely proud to be nominated”. He added: “From the first time I tried using a remote camera for the national team, it took me eight months of tinkering and experimenting with my remote camera set up with a lot of help from more experienced photographers. There is of course a little bit of luck involved but I also believe that luck comes to those who are prepared.”
The announcement date for the winners will be announced in due time, according to the World Sports Photography Awards website.
