Volkswagen Named Dignity Health Sports Park Founding Partner And Exclusive Automotive Partner Of The LA Galaxy And Home Stadium

Five-time MLS Cup champion, the LA Galaxy, and their home stadium, Dignity Health Sports Park (DHSP), have launched a comprehensive marketing partnership with Volkswagen. The multiyear agreement, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, strategically aligns the brands and establishes Volkswagen as the exclusive automotive partner of the LA Galaxy and DHSP as well as a Founding Partner of DHSP.

The new relationship will provide the local Volkswagen dealerships with an enhanced connection to passionate sports and entertainment fans across Southern California, while increasing brand awareness. Additionally, the partners will use the dynamic new relationship to highlight a shared commitment to the growth of soccer and environmental sustainability across the region. The deal marks the first automotive brand to simultaneously partner with both the LA Galaxy and DHSP as well as the first-ever professional sports partnership for Volkswagen in Southern California.

“We are excited to bring Volkswagen’s enthusiasm of soccer to the local level with our LA Galaxy partnership. We look forward to engaging with the fans and community throughout the season,” said Dave Lueders, vice president, Western Region – Volkswagen of America, Inc.

As a Founding Partner of DHSP, a premium and category exclusive designation, Volkswagen will receive premium indoor and outdoor signage in and around DHSP, including logo rotation on the scoreboard during all publicly ticketed events, rotational exposure across the stadium’s 405 and 91 freeway marquees where other Founding Partners are recognized, as well as prominent concourse, fascia, and main driveway signage. Volkswagen will also benefit from additional digital exposure on the venue’s Legends Plaza media board, located outside the stadium gates.  

“Dignity Health Sports Park is one of the most sustainable soccer stadiums in the world with a long-standing tradition of saving energy and water, recycling, purchasing environmentally preferable products, and helping raise awareness of environmental issues,” said Katie Pandolfo, general manager of Dignity Health Sports Park. “Volkswagen mirrors our ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, and this partnership will help us make an even bigger positive impact on our work in this area both at our venue as well as across the greater Southern California area.”

As the exclusive automotive partner of the LA Galaxy, Volkswagen will engage fans as a title night sponsor of one regular season home game per year at DHSP, a key highlight of the agreement. With its title night game, the first of which will take place on Saturday, March 19, 2022, Volkswagen will bring its brand to life with various surprise and delight activations for Galaxy fans including giveaways and more. Volkswagen will also be fully integrated into all applicable marketing materials for its title night game including digital ad campaigns, enhanced TV exposure, radio mentions LED promotions and more.

“We are honored to partner with Volkswagen as they begin their first-ever professional sports partnership in the Southern California market,” said LA Galaxy President Chris Klein. “The Galaxy and Volkswagen are committed to the growth of soccer across Southern California and this partnership will highlight that commitment in our community.”

In addition to its title game, Volkswagen will enjoy in-game branding elements and exposure including a digital scoreboard commercial feature and graphic, LED stadium ribbon board signage as well as TV-visible LED and static field board signage during all LA Galaxy’s locally broadcasted regular season home games at DHSP. Volkswagen, the LA Galaxy and DHSP will also collaborate on a variety of digital marketing campaigns across LA Galaxy’s owned and operated media channels as well as promotional content and commercial spots before, during and after the club’s locally broadcast matches.

The LA Galaxy season is always a highly anticipated event on the Los Angeles sporting calendar and this partnership provides Volkswagen with a significant opportunity to introduce passionate sports and Galaxy fans in particular to its latest vehicles, while simultaneously bringing awareness to the importance of sustainable transportation. By 2050 Volkswagen’s operations and vehicles in the United States expect to be carbon neutral, with its growing lineup of electric vehicles (EVs) helping to make this possible. Globally, the manufacturer plans to sell approximately 22 million electric vehicles (EVs) through 2028 – spreading that excitement of e-mobility all over the world. Additionally, Volkswagen plans to recycle up to 97 percent of all the raw materials used in the battery packs driving its upcoming EVs.

As the official automotive partner of the LA Galaxy and Founding Partner of DHSP, Volkswagen will have an active presence both on and off the field at every LA Galaxy home game throughout the season as well as prominent branding and vehicle displays across the stadium year-round. Inside the north-east entrance of DHSP, Volkswagen will have the all-electric Volkswagen ID.4 SUV permanently on display for guests to view at all stadium events along with additional temporary vehicle displays and activations outside of the entrance gates of DHSP during various regular season MLS home games.

The 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 SUV will be assembled in the U.S.A. at Volkswagen’s assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Chattanooga plant’s production uses 100 percent renewable electricity and is one of the most environmentally friendly automotive sites in the United States. Currently, the Chattanooga plant assembles the Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport, and starting later this year, will  serve as Volkswagen’s North American base for electric vehicle assembly.

“We are proud to welcome Volkswagen to our family of partners,” said Josh Veilleux, senior vice president, AEG Global Partnerships. “Rashid Dadashi on the AEG Global Partnerships team did a tremendous job bringing this opportunity to life, and right from the beginning we knew this partnership was going to be a natural fit. Volkswagen shares our passion and commitment to the environment as well as the local communities we both serve across Southern California. We look forward to highlighting sustainable transportation options through our relationship and bringing innovative new game-day experiences to our fans.”

This agreement builds on Volkswagen of America’s  partnership with the U.S. Soccer Federation and underscores its ongoing commitment to the growth of the sport. As the presenting partner  of U.S. Soccer for the last three years, Volkswagen of America has supported U.S. Soccer in its mission to become the leading sport in the United States through increased visibility, player and coach development, and enhanced fan engagement across the country. With this partnership, Volkswagen expands the company’s overall investment in the sport across Southern California, one of the fastest-growing sports markets in the country.

Puma Joins Forces With Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN

Sports company PUMA will join the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN as the new official race gear supplier. PUMA will provide the full range of items worn by the team’s drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, as they prepare to compete in the first race of the 2022 Formula One season in Bahrain. PUMA will also provide a dedicated training range for the team.Previous

The latest member of the PUMA family, Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN, has a long-lasting legacy in motorsport, combined with an exciting driver pairing in Formula One for 2022. PUMA will support the team with the latest innovation and technology in race gear offering super-light fabrics with the customized fit for the athletes from overalls to boots.

“There is great potential in the cockpit of the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN and I can’t wait to see them on their chase for the podium. We are really looking forward supporting Zhou Guanyu as the first Chinese Formula One driver. His participation is an important milestone to push the sport in his home country further,” said James Clark, Head of Sports Marketing Motorsport at PUMA. ”Moreover, it is a pleasure to continue working together with Valtteri Bottas, who has been part of the PUMA Family since 2017 already.”Previous

In addition to racewear tailored to the driver’s needs in the cockpit, PUMA will also make sure the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN crew operates at the highest level both on the track and while preparing for the race weekend, supporting the team with the latest training gear.

To complete the full package, PUMA will provide Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN with footwear: the team will wear the brand’s sneakers trackside as part of their travel gear, as they move around the world during the 2022 season.

“We welcome PUMA to the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN family with open arms. Like our team, their brand has a long and proud history in sports and has become synonymous with quality and innovation,” said Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN. “They are going to help us deliver performance, not just by enabling our drivers and crew to train and compete with the latest gear, tailored to their needs, but also by pushing their research and development efforts to provide ever better equipment.” 

Views From The Industry: This Week In Sport & Business

Benjamin Page compiles some of the biggest pieces of news from around the sports industry over the past seven days.

Anyone Fancy $25 Million?

The LIV Golf Invitational Series has now announced its launch in June 2022, with the first event taking place in England. But we still don’t know which (if any) major tour players from the PGA or European Tour will be there to take part.

Many questions are still to be answered about the competition and now the start has been announced it will be interesting to see how developments change over the three months until the first event.

All I know is that if none of the pros fancy it, I’ll be more than happy to turn up and be part of that $25 million prize pot, which is larger than the PGA Tour’s biggest ever prize pool at last week’s Players Championship!

Singapore 2025?

Singapore has announced Singapore25, its bid to host the World Athletics Championships in 2025. If successful, it would be the first time the global blue-ribbon event would be hosted in Southeast Asia. 

Premier League Reportedly Agrees NFT Deal

According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, the Premier League have agreed an NFT deal with ConsenSys, and is looking to Dapper Labs to create video versions of NFTs in a similar style to that of NBA Top Shot which the organisation created last year.

News earlier this week from Mark Zuckerberg suggests that NFTs are going to be coming more to the forefront and into mainstream social media further in the near future.

But not everyone is convinced yet on the future of NFTs, however…

In other Web3 news, HSBC announced this week that it would be heading to The Sandbox in order to take their services into the metaverse, following hot on the footsteps of J.P. Morgan.

Hopes For Women’s Ice Hockey

Women’s Ice Hockey has struggled to take off across America, with attempts to push the National Women’s Hockey League, now the Premier Hockey Federation, facing difficulties as it has tried to gain traction.

Unlike with the WNBA, which has been blossoming alongside its strong partnership with the NBA, there has not been a similar deal with the NHL in the sport of hockey.

However, that could be set to change with reports that the NHL may be willing to meet in order to help the Premier Hockey League by bringing the two leagues together, which would be fantastic news for the women’s side of the sport.

On (Or Should We Say In?) The Ball

Premiership Rugby has announced they will be using a new ball, called the Smart Rugby Ball, to improve their data insights for both teams and fans watching live on TV.

https://twitter.com/btsportrugby/status/1504037765226315778?s=20&t=SVmh1hbbEBRfbwa6vSBaxA

According to the league, expect to see new insights into the kicking and passing that determines the balance of the game.

  • e.g. fastest/longest passers
  • which teams play a more expansive game through longer, wider passing?
  • passing trends off left/right hands
  • who are the most powerful, most accurate kickers?
  • which players/teams are taking more/less risk in their clearance kicking game and gaining more territory?
  • which players/teams are setting up turnover and disruption opportunities through effective hang-times on box kicks, restarts and up & unders?

This looks like it could be a fantastic innovation to boost rugby’s fan viewing experience, let’s see how the innovation comes off.

And Finally… Seeing Double??

The Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder were ready to tipoff on Sunday night, until a slight issue presented itself when both team took off their warmup gear, as both teams were revealed to be wearing their white jerseys. After a quick chuckle Memphis had to change into their home blue kit.

Cisco Joins Up With Real Madrid As New Technology Partner

Real Madrid and Cisco have announced a global, multi-year collaboration agreement to make the Santiago Bernabéu one of the most technologically advanced sporting arenas on the planet. The ceremony held to announce the partnership took place at Real Madrid City and amongst those in attendance were Emilio Butragueño, Real Madrid’s director of institutional relations, and Wendy Mars, president of Cisco EMEAR.

As the club’s official technology partner, Cisco will equip the Santiago Bernabéu with the full range of its industry-leading technology, including connectivity and security solutions, a data centre and digital signage. The whole system is designed on a single, smart and converged Cisco network.  

Connectivity

The stadium will boast the best wireless connection, based on Wi-Fi 6 technology, to be found in Europe. Over 1,200 access points throughout the Bernabéu will offer a faster and more reliable bandwith to allow fans to enjoy interacting with their devices and applications.

Improved experiences & processes

This link-up will see Real Madrid benefit not only from the full range of Cisco technology solutions, but also the company’s industry experience. Thanks to a single, converging network designed to offer the very best in security, speed and reliability, Real Madrid will be able to offer its fans, both in the stadium and around the world, innovative experiences, whilst also optimising various operational processes within the stadium, including communications and security.

In addition, over 1,000 screens that feature Cisco’s integral IPTV solution, which combines high-definition video distribution with cutting-edge digital signage, will enable the club to enhance fan participation throughout the stadium and generate new entertainment options.

Partnership

“Thanks to this collaboration agreement with Cisco, a leader in connectivity and content management, the Santiago Bernabéu will be able to share data, voices and videos to anywhere in the world and this will guarantee the widest range of services and an unrivalled spectacle within the world of football”, explained Butragueño.

For her part, Mars also stressed the value of the link-up: “Real Madrid is one of the jewels in the crown in the world of sport. We’re delighted to add a club with such a rich history to the global portfolio of sporting institutions that Cisco works with. We hope to bring the potential of our two global brands together to promote a more connected and inclusive future for the game”.

Meanwhile, Andreu Vilamitjana, director general of Cisco España, commented: “Cisco’s commitment to the digitialisation of the country, which in Spain is overseen through our Digitaliza programme, is now entering the sports industry. Santiago Bernabéu is already reinventing the future of entertainment in sports arenas by offering fans unforgettable experiences and ensuring that content and services are of the highest standards in terms of quality and safety. We’re excited to be teaming up with Real Madrid to take fan interaction to the next level”.

Mclaren Racing Sign Multi-Year Agreement With The Memento Group

The Memento Group (TMG), the UK-based sports licensing, retail and memorabilia business, has confirmed a new multi-year licence agreement with Formula 1®  team McLaren Racing allowing authentic, race-used memorabilia to be sold through www.f1authentics.com – F1®’s official memorabilia platform.

The multi-year licence agreement will extend the relationship between McLaren Racing and The Memento Group until the end of the 2024 F1® season and is the largest commitment the F1® team has made to date to the F1 Authentics ecommerce platform.

Under the terms of the agreement McLaren Racing will release official components and bodywork for the first time alongside heritage items and racewear pieces that have been available on F1 Authentics since 2019.

Barry Gough, CEO of The Memento Group (TMG), owners of F1 Authentics, commented:

“McLaren is a name steeped in F1 history. It is the second most successful Formula One team having won 12 Drivers’ Championships, eight Constructors’ Championships, and 183 races – one of which was claimed as part of a fantastic 1-2 at last season’s Italian Grand Prix.”

“As a team on the rise, and one with an extremely loyal fan base, this is a great time to enhance our partnership. It marks an important step in giving those fans exclusive access to authentic merchandise, the latest memorabilia and for the first time ever, race-used McLaren car parts and bodywork.”

Lindsey Eckhouse, Director of Licensing, eCommerce & esports at McLaren Racing said:

“We are delighted to be extending our relationship with the Memento Group and F1 Authentics. The addition of official components and bodywork, which will be available for fans to purchase for the first time, allows us to give components a new lease of life and supports our mission to provide positive solutions to sustainability, through our people, technology, processes, operations and partners.”

F1 Authentics launched in 2019 and includes an online shop and auction featuring past and present F1 memorabilia including used race wear as well as bespoke show cars and restored ex-race cars. Each item of memorabilia features an authentic hologram that can be digitally registered. Working directly with F1® teams and drivers, F1 Authentics presents official licensed products. The Memento Group holds licence agreements with the following F1® teams: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, McLaren Racing, Alpine F1 Team, Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team, Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN & Haas F1 Team.

Williams Racing Announces Multi-Year Partnership With Bang & Olufsen

Williams Racing today announces a multi-year agreement with renowned luxury audio company Bang & Olufsen as an official team partner.

In addition to the Bang & Olufsen logo adorning the FW44, Williams and Bang & Olufsen will work together to create impactful, immersive and multi-sensory customer and fan experiences. This will happen globally across Bang & Olufsen branded stores, at Williams Racing facilities trackside at various Grands Prix, and at the Williams headquarters in Grove, Oxfordshire.

Williams Racing CEO and Team Principal Jost Capito said: “I’m delighted to welcome such a globally iconic brand to the Williams Racing stable of partners. For nearly 100 years, Bang & Olufsen has been at the forefront of design and innovation and created some of the most memorable and iconic products in the world. And we have that same desire for perfection. The combination of Bang & Olufsen and Williams Racing is perfectly aligned with our ‘Williams Beyond Racing’ brand strategy and is further proof of Williams’ continued growth over the past 12 months, both on and off-track.”

Kristian Teär, CEO of Bang & Olufsen, is excited about the partnership and believes it will help the company attract the attention of more global consumers. “I’m proud of this new partnership. We share Williams’ passion for excellence, performance, and the desire to create only the best, and together we can provide some extraordinary experiences to fans and customers. It is a key strategic priority for us to increase our brand awareness, and with this partnership we will be able to reach even more global consumers from this weekend, and in the years to come. We cannot wait to show the world what we can do together – and Bahrain will undoubtedly be the beginning of something amazing.”

Since 1925, the Danish luxury brand Bang & Olufsen has created some the world’s most iconic audio and home entertainment products based on the unique combination of powerful sound, timeless design and unrivalled craftsmanship.

HSBC To Become The First Global Financial Services Provider To Enter The Sandbox

HSBC, one of the world’s largest international banking and financial services providers, and The Sandbox, today announced a new partnership that will open up a host of opportunities for virtual communities across the world to engage with global financial services providers and sports communities in The Sandbox metaverse.

The groundbreaking partnership between The Sandbox and HSBC will see the global financial services provider acquire a plot of LAND, virtual real estate in The Sandbox metaverse, which will be developed to engage and connect with sports, esports and gaming enthusiasts.

The agreement opens the door for other global institutions to continue innovating in Web3 as consumer adoption demands more robust experiences in the metaverse through decentralized and gamified offerings.

Metaverse virtual worlds deliver interactive and immersive experiences to users, with many of these platforms built on blockchain technology. The global metaverse market is estimated to grow from $45.4bn in 2019 to a staggering $1.5tn in 2030 (source: PwC | Seeing is Believing).

Suresh Balaji, Chief Marketing Officer, Asia-Pacific, HSBC, said:

“The metaverse is how people will experience Web3, the next generation of the Internet — using immersive technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality and extended reality. At HSBC, we see great potential to create new experiences through emerging platforms, opening up a world of opportunity for our current and future customers and for the communities we serve. Through our partnership with The Sandbox we are making our foray into the metaverse, allowing us to create innovative brand experiences for new and existing customers. We’re excited to be working with our sports partners, brand ambassadors, and Animoca Brands to co-create experiences that are educational, inclusive and accessible.”

Sebastien Borget, COO and Co-founder of The Sandbox, said:

“We’re pleased to see large, trusted institutions such as HSBC join The Sandbox open metaverse and embrace the culture of Web3, connecting with users through entertainment, gaming and user-generated content. We believe this is the beginning of a broader adoption of Web3 and the metaverse by institutions driving brand experiences and engagement within this new ecosystem.”

As the metaverse’s leading decentralized gaming virtual world, The Sandbox fully embraces the idea of the metaverse as a continuous shared digital space where worlds and brands collide to make magic and create real utility and economy. HSBC joins over 200 existing partnerships including Gucci, Warner Music Group, Ubisoft, The Walking Dead, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Richie Hawtin, The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, ZEPETO, and CryptoKitties, all following The Sandbox’s vision of empowering players to create their own experiences using both original and well-known characters and worlds. Details of the HSBC and The Sandbox collaboration will be announced in due course.

Mark England Named Team GB Chef de Mission For Paris 2024 Olympic Games

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has today (Thursday, 17 March) announced Mark England OBE as Chef de Mission for Team GB for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Mark has successfully led Team GB at each of the last two summer editions of the Olympic Games, where the nation has secured 67 medals at Rio 2016 and 64 medals at Tokyo 2020.

He becomes only the fifth person in the history of Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Olympic Games to have led the team into competition on at least three separate occasions.

Awarded the OBE for his services to Olympic sport in 2016, Mark oversaw the 374-strong athlete delegation in Tokyo in the summer of 2021, following a year’s delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the pandemic, Team GB were one of the few major nations to keep their delegation entirely Covid free at the Games.

Mark has attended 10 Olympic and Olympic Winter Games in a leadership role.

He said: “There remains no greater honour than being asked to lead Team GB as Chef de Mission at the Olympic Games. I am proud and humbled to support our exceptional athletes and sports in competition at the world’s greatest sporting event.

“Paris 2024 will be an incredible Games for Team GB and the British public can look forward to another wonderful summer of sporting achievement from the country’s finest athletes.”

BOA Chair, Sir Hugh Robertson, said: “We are delighted to announce Mark England as our Chef de Mission for Paris 2024. His leadership through the Rio and Tokyo Games was outstanding and I know he carries the confidence of athletes and sports alike.”

BOA CEO, Andy Anson, added: “My congratulations go to Mark on a well-deserved appointment – Paris is undoubtedly going to be an exceptional Games, and it’s one we are very much looking forward to.

“We have just returned from our latest recce to Paris and we feel our plans for 2024 are well advanced. We are confident that we will be as well prepared as ever to take advantage of the closest thing we will get to a home Games in the near future.”

Bologna, Glasgow, Hamburg And Malaga To Host Group Stage Of 2022 Davis Cup By Rakuten Finals

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Kosmos Tennis have today confirmed the four cities selected to host the group stage of the 2022 Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals on 14-18 September as Bologna (Italy), Glasgow (Great Britain), Hamburg (Germany) and Malaga (Spain).

The ITF also confirmed that the Davis Cup Finals Steering Committee has chosen Canada as the replacement wild card to complete the 16 nations taking part in the Finals. Canada joins 2021 finalist Croatia, losing semi-finalist Serbia, wild card Great Britain, plus the 12 nations that recorded victories in the recent 2022 Qualifiers: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea Republic, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and USA.

The draw for the group stage of the Davis Cup Rakuten Finals will take place in London on Thursday 31 March at 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) and will be streamed live on the Davis Cup YouTube channel.

The group stage of the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals will be held in September for the first time. This latest innovation, following discussion with the player group, will further help reduce pressure on playing schedules, and will see each city host one group of four teams. The top two teams in each group will progress to the knock-out stage of the Davis Cup Finals to be held in the one, yet-to-be-announced location from 23-27 November.

David Haggerty, ITF President, said: “I would like to congratulate the four winning host nations on their successful bids. As a key priority of the ITF 2024 strategy, we are very proud of how far the Davis Cup has come through its rich history. We are committed to the future success of the event, while retaining the traditional elements of what is the Men’s World Cup of Tennis. This includes its unique atmosphere and showcasing the event throughout the year at different cities across the world, bringing Davis Cup to more audiences.”

Albert Costa, Davis Cup Finals Tournament Director, said: ‘We were delighted to see several countries show their interest in hosting one of the group stage venues of the Davis Cup Finals. This clearly demonstrates the value and success of the competition and what it means to the many countries involved. The multi-city format of the group stage in 2021 proved a huge success in terms of both improving the fan experience and bringing the competition to new audiences. As such, we are confident that this year’s instalment in the four different cities will once again delight and provide even more opportunities for players and fans alike to enjoy the action of the Men’s World Cup of Tennis.”

ITF and Kosmos opened the event bidding procedure in January 2022 to all nations playing in the Qualifiers and those nations who had already qualified for the Finals. The deadline to submit proposals was 18 February. The outcome followed several weeks of evaluation based on various factors to ensure the smooth and successful running of the event. The 2022 Finals embrace an all-new set of locations, in fitting with the Davis Cup tradition of bringing the nation-versus-nation event to countries across the world. The Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Martin Carpena in Malaga, the Unipol Arena in Bologna and the Hamburg-Rothenbaum have already been confirmed as group stage hosts.

Singapore Bids To Host World Athletics Championships In 2025

Singapore has announced Singapore25, its bid to host the World Athletics Championships in 2025. If successful, this would be the first time the global blue-ribbon event will be hosted in Southeast Asia. 2025 will be Singapore’s 60th year of independence and this premier event and festival of sport would be a fitting addition to the nation’s celebrations. 

The iconic city state, already renowned as an international hub and home of  prestigious international sporting events such as the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, has set its sights on becoming the gateway for athletics for Southeast Asia, a region of untapped potential for the sport. 

World Athletics’ strategic plan focuses on four goals – more participation, more people,  more fans and more partnerships. “Coupling our commitment to inspire Singaporeans  to ‘Live Better Through Sport’ and World Athletics’ vision of ‘Creating a Healthier and  Fitter World’, Singapore25 has the potential to be a game-changer for sports and  athletics in the region that will benefit the sport, the athletes, fans and the industry,” said Mr Lim Teck Yin, Chief Executive Officer of Sport Singapore.  

He added “The World Athletics Championships has never been to Southeast Asia. The region is home to 680 million people including 200 million under-35s, countless MNCs and over 30 tech unicorns. Southeast Asia’s potential for new fans, partnerships, athletes, and heroes to take athletics to the next level is self-evident – and Singapore25 can be that springboard”. 

Sharing his excitement of the bid submission Mr Lien Choong Luen, President of  Singapore Athletics, said “Singapore25 will give our athletes and those from the region the opportunity to rub shoulders with the giants of the track and field and fire up more interest for the sport. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to inspire the athletes  of tomorrow.” 

Singapore25 will showcase Singapore’s trademark of innovation, sustainability, out of-the-box thinking and meticulous execution – for athletes, fans, spectators, businesses, and the local community. It is also no stranger to organising international athletics, having hosted the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010 and the Southeast Asian Games in 2015. 

“We hope to welcome the world’s best athletes and their fans to Singapore in 2025. We have a proven track record of hosting world-class sports events successfully, and Singapore25 would be a strong addition that boosts our vibrancy and attractiveness as a lifestyle destination” said Mr Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board. 

The Singapore team will partner with Mr Ong Beng Seng, the man behind the success of the Singapore Grand Prix and its transformation into Formula 1’s first ever night  race and one of the key highlights of the F1 calendar. Singapore will draw on the same innovation and expertise to reimagine the World Athletics Championships and deliver an event that aims to set a new bar for the future. 

The results of the award are expected to be announced in July, during the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. The World Athletics Championships 2023 are due to take place in Budapest, Hungary.