Sports Industry Awards nominees Daman have hailed the “fantastic competition” present in the regional sports market after they earned numerous nods at the announcement of the finalists on Tuesday, March 3.

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Daman, a health insurance company, were shortlisted in eight of the nine entries they submitted thanks to their great work in CSR initiatives like Active Life and Daman Speed Academy as well as their sponsorship of events like the Color Run and Train Yas.

“We’re over the moon. To be recognised as finalists, seriously that’s good enough for us. If we win something on the night, that’s just the icing on the cake. But the fact that we’ve been recognised for so many, is very humbling. We didn’t expect that at all. Especially with such fantastic competition in the market,” said Andrew Phillips, director of marketing and customer experience at Daman.

“At one point, we’ve had 4,500 people at Train Yas and 2,000 UAE national females one week. So 6,500 people in one week. Even though the weather becomes hotter, they still have this momentum to be able to lead a healthy lifestyle and exercise which is incredibly important for us.” 

Nike and their official distributors Sun & Sand Sports also earned multiple nominations, showing up in six different categories, courtesy of their stellar work on events like We Run DXB, among other things.

“We are very excited to know that Nike is shortlisted for several SPIA awards. The region is witnessing a new fitness culture and Nike is in the heart of it,” said Roy Nasrallah, head of marketing, Middle East, Nike.