During a night of celebration at Battersea Evolution in London on 30th April, the winners of the Sport Industry Awards 2009 were unveiled to a packed house of high-profile industry figures and sporting celebrities.

Virgin Active Managing Director Peter Brennan was on hand to help recognise and reward the best the business has to offer in marketing, PR, sponsorship, new media, publishing, advertising and design at the event, penned as Europe’s largest and most prestigious commercial sport awards.

In a celebration of Britain’s performance in the Beijing Olympics, Team GB and Paralympics GB were presented with the Virgin Active Outstanding Contribution to British Sport for their inspirational achievements last summer by the leading health clubs MD Peter Brennan.

Peter commented on the award "It’s fantastic to be a part of an event which rewards those who have contributed so hugely to British sport over the past 12 months. For Virgin Active to be involved in recognising their efforts and encouraging them to pursue their goals even further is a great honour".

All the winners were in attendance to pick up their awards including former McLaren Automotive Executive Chairman Ron Dennis CBE, who was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to him by former F1 world champions Alain Prost and Mika Hakkinen.

The teams were represented by an array of gold medalists from both squads and received their award fittingly from one of the most legendary Olympians of all time, multi-gold medal winning athlete Michael Johnson.

Also a winner on the night was GB Cycling Performance Director David Brailsford who was presented with the Marsh Leadership in Sport Award following his team’s domination in Beijing, while Speedo’s innovative approach in swimsuit design and marketing saw it crowned as the Sport Brand of the Year, one of two awards it collected during the event.