FEVO Sport Industry Awards 2023: introduction From The Chair Of Judges

This article is an extract from the Order of Play at the FEVO Sport Industry Awards 2023.

“May you live in interesting times” is an English translation of an apocryphal Chinese curse. Since we last gathered, the world has remained decidedly interesting. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues; humanitarian crises in Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan and Yemen remain desperate; protests were sparked in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini; political crises have dominated the UK with three Prime Ministers in 12 months (including one whose tenure was roughly equivalent to Brian Clough at Leeds United); and Elon Musk accidentally spent around £40bn on Twitter (which puts all of our late night regretted retail therapy into sharp contrast).

Against that backdrop, sport can seem relatively unimportant. But, to misquote Pope John Paul II, of all the unimportant things in life, sport is by far the most important. It has the unique capacity to provide relief, hope and inspiration. It is the ultimate symbol of the collective pursuit of meritocracy, a world where we can all belong and the only thing that matters is performance. Over the past 12 months, our industry has seen its share of major events bringing joy and relief – from the Commonwealth Games to Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup and the triumph of the Lionesses. We have also continued to see sport use its disproportionate influence for good, to be a beacon and advocate for broader social change. You will see many examples of that tonight and you will also have the opportunity to be part of that change yourself, by contributing to the Sport Together Fund which is supporting the victims of the invasion of Ukraine and other displaced peoples.

This is my rookie year as the Chair of the Judges. I was honoured to be asked. That quickly turned to fear and imposter syndrome when I saw the stellar array of talent assembled as fellow judges. Thankfully, there was no embarrassing karaoke initiation ceremony, and it was my absolute privilege to chair a vibrant, insightful and passionate day of discussions.

This industry has the unique capacity to do good. But it is also important to do well, otherwise any impacts will not be sustainable.

I believe it is possible for organisations to Do Well by Doing Good and my only guidance was to ask my colleagues to bear both of those objectives in mind.

I would like to thank my fellow judges for their commitment, Tom Kingsley from EY for ensuring a fair process and everyone at SIG for all the hard work that makes tonight’s event possible.

Congratulations to all our nominees. We celebrate you all.