Cape Town - Danny Jordaan, Chief Executive of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup Organising Committee South Africa, has been unveiled as a pivotal member of the Judging Panel for the inaugural Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards 2011, the first-ever opportunity for the rapidly evolving South African sports market to celebrate its business achievements.
 
Fresh from the success of organising the first World Cup to be held on African soil, Jordaan’s next task will be to help choose the winners of the Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards, joining a judging panel that already boasts the likes of Gideon Sam, president of the South Africa Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee; and celebrated South African sport stars Bob Skinstad and Elana Meyer.
 
Commented Jordaan: “South Africa’s successful staging of the 2010 Soccer World Cup has been the pinnacle of the achievements of the country in the global sporting arena over many years. Our sport industry is in extremely good shape at the moment and we have enhanced our reputation as a prominent international player.”
 
“The Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards pay tribute to the many who have helped promote and enhance the image of South African sport and I look forward to participating in what is a prestigious judging panel.”
 
Added George Marx, Business Development Manager at the Sport Industry Group, organisers of the Awards: “We are delighted that Danny Jordaan has agreed to become a judge for the Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards. To have such an influential figure in South African sport at the heart of the Awards’ process is a significant reflection of the impact that the Awards is already having on this market.”
 
Presented in front of a star-studded audience of all the key stakeholders in South African sport, the Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards will recognise and reward the best the South African sport business has to offer in categories covering marketing, PR, sponsorship, media, advertising and design.
 
The City of Ekurhuleni will stage the inaugural Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards which will take place on February 17, 2011 and will be hosted by Emperors Palace.
 
The annual Awards ceremony will see the country's top-performing sport brands and organisations receive recognition for their work at a glamorous black-tie event in what has become the most visible and sought-after endorsement of commercial achievement in sport.
 
Further announcements regarding the make-up of the Judging Panel for the Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards will be made in the coming weeks.