Prominent sports entrepreneur and initiator of the Mark D’ Ball Basketball Championship, Igoche Mark, has expressed his pride in being associated with the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) as the association celebrated its diamond jubilee.

On Friday December 31, 2025, SWAN honored Mark with an award for his outstanding support and contribution to sports development in Nigeria during the association’s 60th-year celebration in Abuja.

In his acceptance speech, Mark praised SWAN’s pivotal role in amplifying the achievements and challenges of athletes and sports administrators, stating, “SWAN remains a veritable vehicle for disseminating information to the public. They amplify both the good and the bad, serving as a tracker to measure our performance in the sports ecosystem.”

Mark, however, lamented that despite SWAN’s crucial role, its efforts are often underappreciated, and its members are frequently scapegoated for reporting unpleasant truths, particularly during international competitions.

“I wonder why the efforts of SWAN are not celebrated. Instead, they are often made scapegoats in times of crisis or poor outing by our contingent during international competitions,” Mark noted.

Despite these challenges, Mark assured that he would continue to support SWAN and advocated for more professionalism and better welfare for its members. “As an individual, I will continue to support the association while advocating for more professionalism and better welfare for its members,” he stated.

Mark’s initiative, the Mark D’ Ball Basketball Championship, has been instrumental in discovering new talents in basketball, further solidifying his reputation as a sports development stalwart.