A.S. Watson Group rebrands student sports awards, steps up talent investment

A.S. Watson Group has rebranded its student sports awards with a new theme to showcase its dedication to support future talent and Hong Kong athletes. 

The group's Hong Kong Student Sports Awards (HKSSA)has been rebranded with the theme "You are a star". This summer, Hongkongers supported local athletes competing at the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. According to the brand, they hoped to remind the public that every one of the awardees of its programme who strive for sporting excellence is indeed a star as well, who leads the way in Hong Kong’s sports development and shapes the future. 

To kick off the campaign, A.S. Watson Group has invited previous awardees of HKSSA including artistic gymnast Stone Shek who participated in the London 2012 Olympics and Tokyo 2020 Olympics along with windsurfer Sonia Lo who represented Hong Kong in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.  “In the summer of 2008, I had the opportunity to join the HKSSA sports exchange tour and witnessed the spirit of perseverance of the national gymnastics team in Beijing, That’s the defining moment and I determined to become a full-time athlete. I am honoured to be able to represent Hong Kong at international sports competitions. HKSSA is like a big family of peer sportsmen and the spirit of ‘YES I CAN’ really shaped me into being a capable athlete," said Shek. 

Lo, who was awarded the HKSAA in 2005 - 2006 and finished 8th in the 2016 Windsurfing World Championships and qualified for the Rio Olympic Team, added, “I visited the Olympic venue during the HKSAA sports exchange tour, and I saw how the national team athletes work hard on achieving their goals. It inspired me to strive for my dreams."

To go with the new theme of the award, A.S. Watson Group will feature every winning student athlete as a sports star. Apart from receiving a scholarship, around 900 HKSSA awardees will be invited to a professional sports studio shooting and receive stylish individual photos as a reward, these portraits will also be used to advocate positive sportsmanship values.

This year, over 80% of schools in Hong Kong participated in the programme representing a total of 883 student awards, bringing the total number of student awardees to over 14,000 since its launch.

In an interview with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, A.S. Watson Group said sports can shape the positive character of students, and outstanding athletes often start training when they receive education. adding that the group has been committed to working with schools not only to develop generations of sports talent, but also encouraging an active and healthy lifestyle among students.

Apart from HKSSA, A.S. Watson Group also invests in other sports talent. For example, it set up Watson Athletic Club, which is aimed at promoting Hong Kong’s track and field events and nurturing local young athletic talents in the pursuit of sporting excellence. Watson Athletic Club currently has over 1000 members, including 52 athletes and coaches who are now in Hong Kong Athletics Teams.

The company is also funding sports development with donation to the Elite Athlete Charitable Trust to support sports education programme in local primary and secondary schools, and also to the Paralympic Committee of Hong Kong to support its regional multi-event development programme to identify new talent to represent Hong Kong at international levels. 

Malina Ngai, CEO of A.S. Watson (Asia & Europe) and honorary advisor of HKSSA advisory committee, added, “I was a student who benefited from sports. During my school life, I got a lot of opportunities to participate in track and field training and competitions. With unswerving perseverance, I represented Hong Kong at the Hiroshima Asian Games and eventually won the bronze medal in double sculls. This is how sport has changed my life. We believe every student athlete deserves recognition. Using 'YOU ARE STAR' as the theme, HKSSA is proud to inspire student athletes to fulfill their dreams and embrace the Olympic values of being faster, higher, stronger – together.”

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