During a night of non-stop excitement at Battersea Evolution in London on April 30, the winners of the Sport Industry Awards 2009 were unveiled to a packed house of high-profile industry figures and sporting celebrities.
All the winners were in attendance to pick up their awards, including McLaren Automotive executive chairman Ron Dennis, who was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented to him by former F1 world champions Mika Hakkinen and Alain Prost.
In a celebration of Britain’s performance in the Beijing Olympics, Team GB and Paralympics GB were awarded the Virgin Active Outstanding Contribution to British Sport for their inspirational achievements last summer. The teams were represented by an array of gold medalists from both squads and received their award, fittingly, from one of the most legendary Olympians of all time – multi-gold medal winning athlete Michael Johnson.
Also a winner on the night was GB Cycling performance director David Brailsford, who was presented with the Marsh Leadership in Sport Award following his team’s domination in Beijing, while Speedo’s innovative approach in swimsuit design and marketing saw it crowned as the Sport Brand of the Year, one of two awards it collected during the event.
The full list of award winners is detailed below:
Best Sponsorship of a Sport Event or Competition
sponsored by ICON
Winner: Powerade – Official Sports Drink of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
The Technological Innovation in Sport Award
sponsored by Virgin Atlantic
Winner: Speedo – Speedo LZR Racer
Best Use of PR in a Sport Campaign
sponsored by Action Images
Winner: AVIVA – Community Chest Challenge
The Community Programme Award
sponsored by Sport England
Winner: Football Foundation, Premier League and Metropolitan Police – Kickz
Best Promotion of a Sport by a Governing Body
sponsored by Vero Communications
Winner: The FA – The FA Tesco Skills Programme
Best Digital Sport Marketing Campaign
sponsored by Sky Digital Media
Winner: Nike – ‘Their Game. Your Finishing Touch’ NIKEiD Campaign
Best TV Sport Commercial
sponsored by Eurosport
Winner: Nike – Take it to the Next Level
Best Sponsorship of a Sport Team or Individual
sponsored by Nolan Partners
Winner: Vodafone – Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 Team Sponsorship
Sport Newspaper of the Year
sponsored by UK Sport
Winner: The Times
Best Integrated Sport Marketing Campaign
Winner: Harlequins – The Big Game
Sport Brand of the Year
sponsored by Clarke Willmott
Winner: Speedo
Sport Agency of the Year
sponsored by Colouration
Winner: M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment
The Marsh Leadership in Sport Award
Winner: David Brailsford
Virgin Active Outstanding Contribution to British Sport
Winner: Team GB and Paralympics GB
The Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: Ron Dennis