Winners of the 2013 SportsTravel Awards Announced

Las Vegas Selected as Host for TEAMS ’14

SportsTravel magazine announced the winners of the 2013 SportsTravel Awards at the TEAMS ’13 Conference & Expo in Salt Lake City today. TEAMS: Travel, Events And Management in Sports, is the world’s largest gathering of event organizers and travel planners from the sports industry.

The 2012 Ryder Cup, dubbed by the media as the “Miracle in Medinah” due to Europe’s come-from-behind victory, took home the top award, Sports Event of the Year, as well as Best Professional Single-Sport Event. Other winners included the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, the 2012 Army-Navy Football Game, the 2013 Sandy Hook Run for Families and the 2013 NBA Finals.

“We are pleased to recognize a number of outstanding sporting events again this year,” said Timothy Schneider, publisher of SportsTravel magazine, which organizes the annual TEAMS Conference & Expo. “Each of the winners is a prime example of achieving excellence in organization and management for both competitors and spectators.”

“Our readers are the leaders of the sports-event industry, and they really know what it takes to execute high-quality athletic events,” said Schneider. “These events and the destinations that hosted them have every reason to be proud.”

At the culmination of the 2013 SportsTravel Awards presentation, it was announced the TEAMS ’14 Conference & Expo will be held in Las Vegas, and hosted by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. The city previously hosted the TEAMS Conference & Expo in 2006 and 2011.

The SportsTravel Awards program bestows honors at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels in three categories each. To be eligible, events had to occur between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2013. Criteria for nomination and voting included:

• Superior organization of and attendance at the event
• The event provided a superior experience for competitors and/or spectators
• The event’s host city or venue served to enhance the event

The 2013 SportsTravel Award winners are:

Sports Event of the Year
The 2012 Ryder Cup, in Medinah, IL

Best New Sports Event
2013 Run or Dye Series, Various Cities

Best Professional Series or Circuit
The 2013 NBA Finals, San Antonio, TX and Miami, FL

Best Professional Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
The 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games, in Carson, CA

Best Professional Single-Sport Event
The 2012 Ryder Cup, in Medinah, IL

Best Collegiate Series or Circuit
The 2013 NCAA Women’s College World Series, Oklahoma City, OK

Best Collegiate Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
The 2013 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Fayetteville, AR

Best Collegiate Single-Sport Event
The 2012 Army-Navy Football Game, Philadelphia, PA

Best Amateur Sports Event Series or Circuit
2013 Divas Half-Marathon & 5k Series, Various Cities

Best Amateur Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2012 Olympic Summer Games, London, England

Best Amateur Single-Sport Event
2013 Sandy Hook Run for the Families, Hartford, CT