Olympians Reunion Centre by EY Wins Top Rio Award

20 | 9 | 2016

The Olympians Reunion Centre by EY has picked up the prestigious honour of being named one of the top hospitality houses at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Winning the prize for best hospitality house in the business promotion category at the Rio de Janeiro Chamber of Commerce (ACRio) 2016 Hospitality Houses Awards last week, the Olympians Reunion Centre joins a select group of winners from around the world.

The award is an initiative of ACRio, in partnership with the Municipal Olympic Company (EOM), the Secretariat of State for International Relations of Rio de Janeiro and Coordination of International Relations of the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro. Winners were chosen from the many national, sponsor and federation hospitality venues that had a presence in Rio during the Games based on the following categories: Legacy, Innovation, Friendship, Cultural Promotion and Business Promotion.

The Olympians Reunion Centre was chosen due to EY’s successful partnership with the World Olympians Association, providing a meeting place for Olympians of all ages, sports and nationalities to gather during the Games and celebrating Olympians’ contribution to society and the Olympic movement. It was also recognised for its strong focus on business-based activities and initiatives, which engaged the local community and ensured EY left a positive and lasting legacy from its involvement in the Games, such as EY’s entrepreneurship program, volunteer program and the athlete intern initiative.  The Olympians Reunion Centre was also applauded for the contribution it made to its host venue by transforming part of the internal structure of the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, as well as intangible actions related to the Olympic Games and EY’s investment in sport.

EY’s Executive Director of Markets, Mark Nicolas, who collected the award, said:

"This award is the highlight of our Olympic program and recognition from those in the know about what is important for the city in this time of need. We are proud to have brought a permanent legacy to the city's businesses and we will help to further harvest the fruits that were planted during the period of the Olympic Games in Rio at the ORC by EY.”

WOA President Joël Bouzou, said:

“We are delighted that the Olympians Reunion Centre by EY has been recognised by the city of Rio for the contribution it made to the Olympic Games and the local region. The legacy of the hard work carried out by our partners EY, to bring this project to life and benefit our Olympians, our host city and the local business community in a tangible way will long have an impact on Rio and those that visited the ORC during the Games. We would also like to thank the IOC who helped make the project possible.”

Winners in the other categories included: International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) (Legacy), Hungary (Innovation), Switzerland (Friendship) and Qatar (Cultural Promotion). NBA House also received an honourable mention in the awards.

Photo credit: IOC