“Paralympics have always been an inspiration, motivation and embodiment of values for Allianz.”

The ‘Be the Missing Piece’ sponsorship project implemented by the Croatian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and Allianz Zagreb was selected as ‘Best Sponsorship in Croatia 2016’ by the Slovenian Marketing Association during a two-day conference in Portoroz, Slovenia.

The aim of this project was to build a more tolerant society and promote the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

In the lead-up to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, Allianz Zagreb organised a series of activities to raise awareness of Para sports, inviting the media to give Para athletes the recognition they deserve.

The campaign was named ‘Be the Missing Piece’ because it seeks to get more people involved in Para sports as additional support for the athletes, and it was created by sponsorship consulting company Vetturelli in cooperation with Allianz Zagreb.

It will now compete to become the best sponsorship project in Europe at a gala to be held in London, Great Britain, in February 2017.

“Paralympics have always been an inspiration, motivation and embodiment of values for Allianz,” said Allianz Zagreb Head of Corporate Communications Vanja Bzik.

“It is a fact that in this Paralympic year we have jointly managed to tear down the prejudices towards athletes with impairment and build a ‘star status’ of extraordinary athletes, which presents the true value of this project.

“We are very pleased that this was recognised also by professionals both in Croatia and internationally. This prize motivates us to continue building a better and more tolerant society through such projects.”