Collecting the award on behalf of Laguna Phuket Marathon was Mr Raimund Wellenhofer of Laguna Phuket Marthon event owner Go Adventure Asia.
However, in addition to Laguna Phuket Marathon scooping their award, Laguna Phuket Triathlon scooped Silver also in the Best Amateur Sport Event in Thailand category and Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort walked away with Silver for the Best Sport Youth Development Program in Thailand and Bronze in the category of ‘Best Sport Event Arena Venue and/or Training Centre in Thailand’.
Guests in attendance at the gala dinner, held at the Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld included Mr Nattavuth Ruengves, Deputy Governor for Elite Sports and Sports Science of the Sports Authority of Thailand; Mr Somyot Poompunmoung, President of the Football Association of Thailand and more than 400 VIP guests.
The 3rd edition of the SPA Asia saw almost 400 award submissions from 47 countries in 23 categories (17 Asian categories and six Thailand categories), the Awards Committee Members and independent judging panel consisting of 27 high profile industry experts diligently scored Bronze, Silver and Gold winners in each category.
Speaking at the Award Gala Dinner, CEO of MMC Sportz Marketing LLC, organiser of SPIA Asia – Sports Industry Awards & Conference 2017, Mr Eric M. Gottschalk, said, “The standard of award submissions and competition has been exceptionally high this year. Having started with almost 400 entries, all were subject to a fair and transparent judging process that culminated with thorough appraisals by a panel of more than 20 experts. In many categories the scoring was extremely close and the Bronze, Silver and Gold winners announced at the SPIA Asia Awards Gala should be very proud of their achievement.”
SPIA Asia 2017 Award Winners
Best International Sporting Event sanctioned by an International Federation
Gold: Australian Open 2017
Silver: WGC-HSBC Champions
Bronze: Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix
Best Global Sports Organisation Operating in Asia
Gold: Badminton World Federation
Silver: Spartan Race Inc.
Bronze: UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
Best Sports Tourism Destination of the Year
Gold: Funtastic Subic Bay
Silver: Visit Victoria
Bronze: Amazing Thailand
Best Football Organisation of the Year recognised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
Gold: Arabian Gulf League (AGL)
Silver: J-League
Bronze: Football Association of Thailand (FAT)
Best Live Experience at a Sporting Event
Gold: HSBC Women’s Champions
Silver: BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global
Bronze: VISA Football Night
Best eSports Event of the Year
Gold: ESL One Genting
Silver: Rifts Rivals – Red Rift
Bronze: Manila Masters 2017
Best Extreme Sports Event of the Year
Gold: Red Bull Air Race World Championships 2017 - Abu Dhabi
Silver: Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2016 Finals
Bronze: Spartan Race
Best Mass Participation Event of the Year
Gold: Standard Chartered KL Marathon
Silver: Sina 3x3 Golden League Basketball Tournament
Bronze: Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines Asia Pacific Championship
Best Sports Marketing Agency of the Year
Gold: Lagardère Sports
Silver: IMG
Bronze: Mediapro Asia Pte Ltd
Best Sports Digital Platform of the Year
Gold: Standard Chartered KL Marathon App
Silver: Sina Sports
Bronze: FourFourTwo
Best Sponsorship of a Sport, Team or Event (above USD 250,000.00)
Gold: Manchester City FC by UBTECH
Silver: VISA Football Night
Bronze: HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens
Best Sponsorship of a Sport, Team or Event (below USD 250,000.00)
Gold: Sunriser Hydearbad & Allied Blenders & Distillers Association
Silver: Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority
Bronze: Daman’s ActiveLife Color Run
Best Integrated Marketing Campaign for a Sports Event
Gold: Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix
Silver: VISA Football Night
Bronze: BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global
Best Sports CSR Initiative of the Year
Gold: 2017 Xiqiao Mountain Blind Half Marathon
Silver: Cityzens Giving
Bronze: Nepal Earthquake Relief Program- AFC School Rebuilding Project
Best Youth Development Program of the Year
Gold: The Daman Future Champions Programme (DFCP)
Silver: Chelsea Football Club International Development Programme
Bronze: Football for Life Academy (F4LA)
Best Sports Event Hospitality Offering
Gold: Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix
Silver: BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global
Bronze: Australian Open 2017
Best Sportswear Brand of the Year (Public Voting)
Gold: Adidas
Silver: Nike
Bronze: Puma
Best Amateur Sport Event in Thailand
Gold: Laguna Phuket Marathon
Silver: Laguna Phuket Triathlon
Bronze: FC Bayern Munich Youth Cup Thailand 2017
Best Sponsorship of Sport, Team or Event in Thailand
Gold: MoneyGram Goal
Silver: Toyota Thai League
Bronze: The Music Run by AIA Vitality
Best Sport Event Arena Venue and/or Training Centre in Thailand
Gold: Black Mountain Golf Club
Silver: Pattana Golf Club & Resort
Bronze: Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort
Best Sport Event Organiser in Thailand
Gold: IMG
Silver: MICE & Communication Co., Ltd.
Bronze: Media Event Design Co., Ltd
Best Sport Youth Development Program in Thailand
Gold: Pattana Football Club
Silver: FINA Scholarship Programme
Bronze: AIA Youth Football Development Campaign
Best Sport Event Supplier in Thailand
Gold: Cournot and Nash Co. Ltd.
Silver: Vivaldi Seasons Co. Ltd
Bronze: Media Event Design Co. Ltd
For official winner list and SPIA Asia 2017 event information, please visit www.spiaasia.com