Samsung yesterday launched the 15th Asian Games Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award program, and announced the Steering Committee for this year’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award during the official Media Welcoming Party. The Steering Committee will be responsible for nominating athletes for the Award, whose winner will ultimately be determined by accredited journalists covering the Games.
Mr. Gyehyun Kwon, Vice President and Head of Worldwide Sport Marketing and Global Communications of Samsung Electronics, and Patrick Furlong, Head of Media and Communications of DAGOC, were present at the Party to unveil this year’s MVP trophy to the attending audience.
Introduced at the 13th Asian Games Bangkok 1998, the Samsung MVP Award is the only award recognized by the Olympic Council of Asia and the Doha Asian Games Organizing Committee.
MVP awards are given out in numerous sporting events across the globe to recognise and honour the abilities and performances of great athletes. The Samsung MVP Award was introduced by Samsung as a contribution to the spirit of the Asian Games and its commitment to excellence. This award highlights a single athlete who has achieved noted accomplishments during the Asian Games.
Members of the Steering Committee represent former athletes, sports journalists and leaders at the OCA, the DAGOC and Samsung. With the group’s vast knowledge and appreciation of sports, the committee will collectively nominate 10 athletes for the MVP Award. The Steering Committee will be an integral part of the selection process because it will highlight the key candidates most worthy of the MVP Award. Once the nominations are announced on December 10th, accredited journalists covering the Games are invited to vote for the athlete they feel is most deserving of the Award. The winner will be announced on December 15th, and will be awarded with the trophy and prizes during the Asian Games Closing Ceremony on the same day.
“Samsung strongly support events such as the Asian Games because they unify people across cultures and encourage healthy competition,” said Mr. Kwon. “We are proud to be supporting athletes at the Asian Games, and look forward to seeing who receives the coveted Samsung MVP Award in Doha 2006.”
The winner of the Samsung MVP Award will receive a trophy, Samsung LCD TV, and $50,000 USD to be awarded to their respective NOC to be used toward future support/ training of athletes. The four finalists will receive a trophy and Samsung mobile phone.
Steering Committee members for the 15th Asian Games Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award are:
- Mr. Randhir Singh (Secretary General of the OCA)
- Mr. Husain Al Musallam (Director General of the OCA)
- Mr. Abdulla Khalid Al Qahtani (Director General of the DAGOC)
- Mr. Inyong Rhee (SVP and Chief Communications Officer of Samsung)
- Mr. Mohamed Saadoun Al Kuwari (Al Jazeera Channel)
- Mr. Yousef Ahmad (Head of Sports Section of Al Sharq)
- Mr. Faissal Baatout (Correspondent of AFP)
About Samsung and Sports Sponsorship
For almost 20 years, Samsung has been a dedicated supporter of major sporting events across Asia and the world. Samsung is a long-time supporter of the Asian Games, beginning as a local sponsor of the Seoul 1986 Asian Games and continuing as a local sponsor for the Hiroshima 1994 Asian Games. Samsung’s full commitment to the Asian Games started from 1998 participating as an official partner of the Bangkok Asian Games and as a multi-category sponsor in the Busan Asian Games in 2002.
Samsung highlights sports sponsorship as a platform to raise brand awareness and build a reputation for excellence in corporate citizenship. Samsung’s extensive support of sports, including the Asian Games, is based on its corporate values that celebrate peace, encourage friendly competition and promote unity among people of all cultures.
About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2005 parent company sales of US$56.7 billion and net income of US$7.5 billion. Employing approximately 128,000 people in over 120 offices in 57 countries, the company consists of five main business units: Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones, and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com
