Captain of the Macedonian handball team Kire Lazarov was declared Best Male Athlete of the year and Best Athlete Abroad at event "Sports Oscar 2009", held late Sunday in Skopje-based hall "Boris Trajkovski".

Lazarov was rewarded for leading the team to the 11th place at this year's World Championships in Croatia, being the leading scorer at the championships with 92 goals credited to his name, as well as his exceptional performances in the "Croatia Osiguranje" team in the Champions League.

Karate member Natasa Ilievska was declared Best Female Athlete after winning a silver medal at the European Championships in Croatia.

National handball team coach Ilija Temelkovski won the Best Coach award.

The Macedonian basketball team received the Best Male Team Oscar after winning the ninth place at this year's European Championships, whereas the Macedonian handball team was declared the Best Female Team.

Macedonian fans received a special Oscar for their following at Croatia's World Handball Championships and European Basketball Championships in Poland.

Moreover, Macedonian football and basketball legends, Artim Shaqiri and Vrbica Stefanov respectively, were presented with special recognitions.

The event was organized by the Youth and Sports Agency and the Association of Sports Federations.