PHUKET: A handful of Phuket events and sports businesses have made the final shortlists of the 2016 Asian Sports Industry Awards (SPIA Asia) and will be competing against the best in Thailand and Asia for a prestigious SPIA award this year.

A total of 72 Thai entries made the final shortlist for SPIA Asia 2016 in a variety of categories, it was announced last week.

The awards are endorsed and supported by Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Sports Authority of Thailand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and SPIA Asia.

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in Bangkok from October 3-4.

From Phuket, the Laguna Phuket Triathlon and the Phuket Rugby 10s were listed under ‘Best Amateur Sports Event of The Year in Thailand’. The Laguna Phuket Marathon was recognized in the ‘Best Mass Participation Event of the Year’ and British International School Phuket was awarded a place in ‘Best Sports Youth Academy of the Year in Thailand’ category.

Several Thai organizations were listed in the ‘Sports CSR Initiative of the Year’ category. They were Human Run by Days Poet Company (Thailand); Kings Cup Elephant Polo by Chao Phaya Resort Limited (Thailand); and Care for Cancer Run by Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel (Thailand).

The Senior Asian Wrestling Championships by the Thai Amateur Wrestling Association (Thailand) was listed in the ‘Best Live Experience at a Professional Sporting Event’

Centara Grand, the Bangkok Convention Center and the Honda LPGA Thailand by Siam Country Club Pattaya were listed in the ‘Best Hospitality, Recreation or Leisure Offering in Sports’ category. The Youth Development by Thai Amateur Wrestling Association (Thailand) scored in the ‘Best Sports Youth Program of the Year’ category and Siam Inter Multimedia PCL (Thailand) was recognized as one of the ‘Best Sports Organization of the Year’.

The National Olympic Committee (Thailand) made it into the ‘Best Sports Marketing Campaign of The Year’ for their feature ‘Team Thailand – Millions for One’, and Lab Bangkok made it into the ‘Best Use of Social Media in Sport’ category.

The Lab Bangkok also made it into the ‘Best Sports Recreation Facility of the Year In Thailand’ category, along with Centara Grand Bangkok & Convention Center; Royal Bangkok Sports Club; Siam Country Club Pattaya; The Green Cycle Track at Suvarnabhumi Airport; Muang Pattaya Sports Complex; and True Arena Hua Hin.

The Asian Sports Industry Awards series is the official celebration of business leaders, organizations, facilities and campaigns at the forefront of the sporting industry, that have made a contribution to the growth and development of sport across the Asian region over the past 12 months.

It was 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.

Speaking at the announcement, Lt Col Ruj Saengudom, Deputy Governor for Professional Sports and Privileges, Sports Authority of Thailand, said, “Thailand has seen tremendous growth in the sports arena in recent years, both in terms of athletes’ skills and the appearance of Thai athletes at international competitions all over the globe, including the Olympics and World Championships, and also in terms of our domestic facilities and sports industry.

“SPIA Asia is a great opportunity for Thailand’s sports industry to gather with key players in international sports and showcase Thailand’s talents and we hope to pick up a few of the prestigious awards which would be an additional catalyst and motivator for our local organizers and brands to encourage them to further invest into the local sports development.

“We are excited about hosting SPIA Asia 2016 from October 3-4 in Bangkok under the MOTS and SAT sanction and encourage our local sports community to participate and to reach out to the Asian Sports industry Community during the awards and the conference.”