Paralympics wins big at Sport Industry awards in London
03.05.2013
Channel 4 and British Paralympic Association pick up major awards in front of 1,750 guests
The success of the London 2012 Paralympic Games was recognised at Thursday’s (2 May) BT Sport Industry awards in London, Great Britain with three awards going to Paralympic related work.
At a glittering awards ceremony attended by 1,750 people, UK broadcaster Channel 4 scooped two accolades - ‘Best TV Sport Commercial’ for their ‘Meet the Superhumans’ campaign and ‘Best Use of PR in a Sport Campaign’ – whilst the British Paralympic Association (BPA) won ‘Outstanding Contribution to British Sport’.
When it was launched last year Channel 4’s ‘Meet the Superhumans’ campaign went live on 78 TV stations in the UK, quickly won worldwide acclaim and has since won multiple national and international awards.
Craig Spence, the IPC Director of Media and Communications, said: “Channel 4’s ‘Meet the Superhumans’ campaign was an absolute game changer. The 90 seconds commercial did 10 years worth of work in the UK changing attitudes and perceptions of people with an impairment in the UK.
“It positioned Paralympians and Paralympic sport as elite and together with an award winning PR campaign created a real buzz and excitement around the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Channel 4 deserves every single award they win for the superb work they did.
“The British athletes who took part in London 2012 then went on to prove that Paralympic sport was elite sport and it is testament to their performances and the work of the BPA that they were awarded the outstanding contribution to British sport award.”
At the Games, Paralympics GB won 120 medals, including 34 golds, and on Thursday cyclist Dame Sarah Storey, a winner of four London 2012 golds, and 100m T44 Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock were on hand in London to pick up the award on behalf of the BPA.
A delighted Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of the BPA, tweeted: “Overwhelmed that @ParalympicsGB given Outstanding Contribution to British Sport Award. Taken a moment or two to process its enormity.
“Fantastic recognition of what last year meant + immense contribution of our athletes. Right that @DameSarahStorey @JonniePeacock picked it up.”
Dame Sarah Storey said: "It’s a very exciting time and I feel honoured that I have been involved in the journey.
“This Award shows huge progress from 21 years ago in a small office with a few volunteers. To put a team together, and pull all those sports together, all the way to the operation that we saw in 2012 – the vision, the planning, the business side of things and the corporate sponsors who were involved and are staying involved through to Rio – it’s a completely different story. So it’s a very exciting time and I feel honoured that I have been involved in the journey.”
At last year’s Sport Industry Awards, IPC President Sir Philip Craven was presented with the Lifetime Achievement awards.