The General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) was held in Cascais, Portugal, on a certain date. At the awards ceremony that evening, Chinese table tennis legend Ma Long was honored with the Outstanding Sporting Career Award in recognition of his remarkable achievements and outstanding contributions in the field of table tennis.

Ma Long, who has participated in four consecutive Olympic Games since the London Olympics in 2012, has won a total of 5 gold medals, making him the athlete with the most gold medals in the history of the Chinese Olympic team. He secured his first Olympic gold medal in men's singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics, achieving the "Grand Slam" feat. At the Tokyo Olympics, he successfully defended his men's singles title, becoming the first person in Olympic table tennis history to retain the men's singles gold medal.

"I am very happy and honored to receive this award. Being recognized by the International Olympic Committee is a very important milestone in my career," Ma Long said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency. "At the same time, I know that this award not only belongs to me personally but also to the Chinese table tennis team. Among my Olympic gold medals, there are team gold medals, which would not have been possible without the support and efforts of the team. Therefore, I am also very grateful to them."

At the awards ceremony, the large screen played several classic moments from Ma Long's career. Seeing these images, Ma Long reflected on the passage of time, "It feels like just a moment ago I was looking back at my entire Olympic career."

"The love for table tennis, the support of our team, and the support of my family have helped me get to where I am today," Ma Long said.

The recipient of the Outstanding Sporting Career Award for Women is New Zealand's canoeing star Lisa Carrington. At the age of 33, Carrington won gold at the London Olympics in 2012, followed by gold and bronze at the Rio Olympics in 2016. She then went on to claim two gold medals at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, solidifying her status as one of the greatest athletes in the history of the sport.

The awards ceremony also honored athletes and teams who excelled at the Paris Olympics this summer. Botswana's track and field athlete, Letsile Tebogo, was awarded the Best Male Athlete prize. The 20-year-old rising star won the gold medal in the men's 100 meters at the Paris Olympics, becoming Botswana's first Olympic champion in history.

The Best Female Athlete Award goes to Alfred from Saint Lucia, a track and field athlete who won gold and silver medals in the women's meter and meter events respectively at the Paris Olympics, becoming the first Olympic medalist in the history of Saint Lucia.

Additionally, the awards ceremony also presented the Best Team Awards. The Japanese men's gymnastics team won the Best Men's Team Award in individual events, the British women's track cycling team sprint won the Best Women's Team Award in individual events, the Danish men's handball team won the Best Men's Team Award in team events, and the Italian women's volleyball team won the Best Women's Team Award in team events.