The British Horseracing Board (BHB) has been short-listed in the category of ‘Best Promotion of a Sport by a Governing Body’ in the prestigious Sports Industry Awards.
BHB is one of six organisations to be selected for the shortlist out of a total of thirteen entries for the award. The other contenders at this stage are the Rugby Football Union, Lawn Tennis Association, Golf Foundation, UK Athletics and the England and Wales Cricket Board.
The shortlist was compiled by eleven judges, all of whom are involved in British sport at the highest level, including Roger Draper, Chief Executive of Sport England, Keith Mills, Chief Executive of London 2012 and Marzena Bogdanowicz, Director of Marketing of the British Olympic Association.
The awards have had a record number of entries this year, which the organisers believe are of exceptional quality and reflect the growth and talent of the UK sport industry. The judges, chaired by the BBC broadcasting journalist John Inverdale, will meet again on March 11 to decide the winner, which will be announced at a Gala Dinner on May 4 at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
BHB’s entry focused on the Racing Spirit Photography Competition initiated by its Marketing Department in 2003. This was a joint promotion with the Sunday Telegraph that encouraged photography students nationwide to take a fresh look at horseracing through the lens. The results were excellent and published in the Sunday Telegraph in November, as well as forming the basis of BHB’s 2004 Fixture List calendars, over 30,000 of which were distributed through the newspaper.
BHB Marketing Director Chris John said: “I am proud that the work of the Marketing Department has been recognised in this way. The Racing Spirit Competition successfully captured the diversity and unique appeal of British Racing, and to know that we have made the shortlist above other high-profile sports governing bodies is a reward for the hard work behind this initiative.”
More information about the awards, including a full list of judges and categories, can be found at www.sportindustry.biz.
