BANGKOK, THAILAND — Winners of SPIA Asia – Sports Industry Awards & Conference 2016 – were announced at a black tie gala dinner yesterday in Bangkok attended by more than 300 sports professionals from around the region. Following a rigorous judging process and a record 208 entries, winners were awarded in 17 categories recognising excellence of rights holders, marketing agencies, sports brands, events, organizations, and venue operators across 17 Asian countries.
Asides from Asian powerhouses such as Toyota, Singha, Shell, AFC, WTA, IMG and Lagardere being successful in key categories, SPIA Asia also featured an unforgettable appearance of Asia celebrity Sonia Couling’s Marengo Shows featuring her Equestrian horse live in the ballroom.
Organised by Sport360 and MMC Sportz, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Thailand and the Sports Authority of Thailand, the 2016 Asian Sports Industry Awards followed “The Business of Sports – Asia’s Sports Industry in the Fastlane II” conference which took place over two days and brought together more than 200 sports industry professionals.
Speaking at the Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony in Bangkok, Mr. Didier Brun, Deputy CEO of Sport360 said, “The Asian Sports Industry Awards has grown this year – a clear sign of the industry’s health. It’s encouraging to see such a large number of entries, but what is even more encouraging is the quality of those entries. Twenty independent judges, each a leader in their field, undertook a thorough judging process and after many hours identified winners across 17 categories representing the best-of-the-best in the Asian sports industry.”
After the initial round of judging, 72 Thai entries were short-listed across the 17 categories and claimed five Gold, five Silver and five Bronze awards, as well as a Special Recognition Award for Singha Corporation for their Social Enterprise Responsibility Program. Other big winners on the night were Hong Kong and Singapore, each winning three Gold awards and Liverpool FC with three awards and Adidas with two. The full list of winners are as follows:
BEST HOSPITALITY, RECREATION OR LEISURE OFFERING IN SPORTS
Gold – BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore (Racquet Club) by Lagardère Sports & Entertainment (Singapore).
Silver – SMBC Singapore Open by Lagardère Sports & Entertainment (Singapore).
Bronze – Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club Phuket (Thailand).
BEST SPORTS BRAND, RETAIL, ACTIVATION OR PRODUCT LAUNCH OF THE YEAR
Gold – Shell Official Supplier – Chinese Super League by GroupM ESP (Singapore).
Silver – MG Partnership with Liverpool F.C by Liverpool FC (China).
Bronze – #DameTimeManila by Adidas/ Iprospect (Philippines).
SPORTS CSR INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
Gold – Ultra Durable Balls by Asian Football Confederation (Asia).
Silver – King’s Cup Elephant Polo by Anantara Hotels & Resorts Limited (Thailand).
Bronze – NAT GEO Earth Day Run by Sporting Republic/ Fox Networks Group (Hong Kong).
BEST SPORTS ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR
Gold – IMG (Hong Kong).
Silver – SportQuake (China).
Bronze – Hong Kong Ultra Marathon Association (Hong Kong).
BEST LIVE EXPERIENCE AT A PROFESSIONAL SPORTING EVENT
Gold – Longines Masters of Hong Kong by Fasttrack (Hong Kong).
Silver – BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global by Lagardère Sports & Entertainment (Singapore).
Bronze – Sime Darby LPGA by IMG (Hong Kong).
BEST SPORTS MARKETING CAMAPAIGN OF THE YEAR
Gold – UAAP Women’s Volleyball by ABS-CBN Corporation (Philippines).
Silver – Standard Chartered Trophy by Liverpool FC (Asia).
Bronze – Support the Philippine Azkals by Great Campaigns Asia / Philippine Football (Philippines).
BEST SPONSORSHIP OF A SPORT, TEAM OR EVENT OF THE YEAR
Gold – Standard Chartered for Liverpool FC.
Silver – Home Credit for Chinese Super League.
Bronze – AIA Insurance for Tottenham Hotspur FC.
BEST MASS PARTICIPATION EVENT OF THE YEAR
Gold – Xiqiao Mountain International Ultra Marathon by Hong Kong Ultra Marathon Association (Hong Kong).
Silver – Color Run Manila by ColorManila Events Inc (Philippines).
Bronze – DBS Marina Regatta by Singapore Dragon Boat Association (Singapore).
BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Gold – #DameTimeManila – Never Doubt by Adidas/ IProspect (Philippines).
Silver – 24Sevens Football by AMC Experience (Singapore).
Bronze – Shell Helix by GroupM ESP (Singapore).
BEST SPORTS YOUTH PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR
Gold – Youth Badminton by Badminton Asia (Malaysia).
Silver – Shaheen Sports Foundation by Shaheen Sports Club (Hong Kong).
Bronze – SSA Sports by XLE Group (Vietnam).
DIGITAL PLATFORM OF THE YEAR
Gold – Goal.com by Perform Group.
Silver – Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2015 Marathon Mobile App by Tata Consultancy Services.
Bronze – TSC Indonesian Soccer League Fantasy Game by GroupM ESP.
BEST PR AGENCY OF THE YEAR – THAILAND
Vivaldi Integrated Public Relations.
BEST SPORTS RECREATION FACILITY OF THE YEAR – THAILAND
Gold – Black Mountain Golf Club.
Silver – True Arena Hua Hin.
Bronze – The Lab.
BEST SPORTS YOUTH ACADEMY OF THE YEAR – THAILAND
Gold – Chelsea Soccer School.
Silver – BISP Swimming Academy.
Bronze – Siam Muay Thai Academy.
BEST AMATEUR SPORTS EVENT OF THE YEAR IN THAILAND
Gold – Bangkok Marathon.
Silver – Top of the Gulf Regatta.
Bronze – Laguna Phuket Triathlon.
BEST SPONSORSHIP OF A SPORT, TEAM OR EVENT OF THE YEAR – THAILAND
Gold – Toyota for Thai FA & Thai League Cup.
Silver – Singha Beer for Chelsea FC, Leicester City, Manchester City & Manchester United.
Bronze – Oakley for Thailand Cycling Association.
BEST INTERNATIONAL SPORTING EVENT SANCTIONED BY AN INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION
Winner – 28th SEA Games 2015 in Singapore.
Silver – BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global by Lagardère Sports & Entertainment (Singapore).
Bronze – World Team Table Championships Malaysia.
Founded by MMC Sportz, a Dubai and Manila based sports advertising and communication agency, and Sport360, the leading daily sports content provider in the Middle East and North Africa, the 2016 Asian Sports Industry Awards followed “The Business of Sports – Asia’s Sports Industry in the Fastlane II” conference, which took place over two days and brought together more than 200 sports industry professionals.
SPIA Asia 2016 is supported by the following partners:
Ministry of Tourisms and Sports, Tourism Authority Thailand, Sports Authority Thailand, Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation, Singha Corporation, Toyota, Grand Sports, Red Bull, SMG Insight, Dubai Sports City, Centara Grand Bangkok, MPA, ASN, Global Sports Jobs, New York Times, SRI, Infinity Communications, The Sponsorship Experts, and is organized by Sport 360 and MMC Sportz.
For more information, please visit the official SPIA Asia 2016 website www.spiaasia.com.
