Burson has published its 2025 Ranking of Sport Cities report, which identified the top 100 cities globally with the strongest association with sport.

The report is based on perception and quantitative analysis, including feedback from international sports leaders, industry experts, and over 1,000 sports media representatives globally, as well as PR metrics and enhanced social media and media coverage analytics, covering 1st July 2024 to 30th June 2025.

The 2025 list featured 19 cities from Asia Pacific and five from the Middle East. At 13th, Tokyo ranked highest within these two regions, followed by Beijing at 14th, Brisbane at 20th, and Dubai at 21st. Regional rankings are as follows:

• Australia and New Zealand: Brisbane (20), Sydney (28), Melbourne (32), Gold Coast (57), Perth (82), Auckland (84).
• Greater China: Beijing (14), Hong Kong (50), Shanghai (63), Chengdu (72), Guangzhou (74).
• Southeast Asia: Singapore (52), Jakarta (96), Bangkok (97).
• Middle East: Dubai (21), Abu Dhabi (23), Doha (25), Riyadh (38), Jeddah (91).

Key findings include:

• As a 'major riser,' Abu Dhabi rose 23 positions from its 46th rank in 2024, a result attributed to the city's diversification in its sports hosting strategy beyond its traditional Formula 1 events.
• As a ‘stable leader’, Tokyo maintained rankings between 8th and 13th from 2023-2025, which was credited to its 2021 Olympic Games host city legacy as well as its upcoming hosting of the World Athletics Championships in September 2025.
• Another ‘stable leader,' Dubai placed between 19th and 21st from 2023-2025, which was attributed to its strategy of combining both elite and mass participation events for locals.

The 2025 ranking also revealed key trends that are reshaping the global sports landscape, including:

The Olympic lifecycle effect demonstrates predictable patterns of rise and decline.
Olympic and Paralympic host cities experience pre-Games momentum, peak visibility during the Olympic year, and post-Games decline (as seen with Tokyo dropping from 8th place in 2023 to 13th in 2021). The report suggested that strategic cities can achieve recovery through legacy activation by planning for the full Olympic lifecycle - not just the Games itself.

Based on this trend, Brisbane’s ranking should rise significantly as the 2032 Games approaches, and cities bidding for 2036 should see ranking improvements during the bidding process. These predictions suggested strategic opportunities for timing investments to maximise global sports positioning.

Diversification of sports offerings outperforming one-off events.
Top-performing cities strategically diversified their sports portfolios, balancing prestigious events, regular league fixtures, and daily sports attractions. Abu Dhabi, whose ranking rose from 46th in 2024 to 23rd in 2025, has consistently hosted major international events, such as Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and large golf and tennis tournaments. Riyadh’s jump from 42nd to 38th reflected Saudi Arabia’s growing investment across sports, from golf (LIV Golf) and football (Spanish Soccer Cup) to mixed martial arts (UFC Fight Night).

Based on this observation, Jeddah is poised for a potential ranking jump thanks to hosting events like the F1H2O and the Next Gen ATP Finals.

AI’s role in reshaping the sports landscape, enabling new competitive advantages.
Events and leagues are using AI to amplify their reach and engagement. In leveraging sports for reputational gains, cities can look towards AI to enhance the communications around their hosting and sports initiatives, especially around fan engagement workflows.

The report predicted that cities investing in advanced fan experiences should result in continued digital acceleration. But it also recognised that the pace of AI development renders it difficult to predict which cities will benefit from increased visibility from AI investment.

AI compute company, Arm, has appointed Golin as its global agency of record for technology and product communications. The agency is tasked with providing strategic communications counsel and insights for Chinese, Taiwanese, South Korean, Japanese, the UK, and the U.S. markets, with additional project remits in select target locations and disciplines.
 
Golin San Francisco leads the relationship with an integrated team of specialists to support upcoming product launches, creative strategy, and engagement with key audiences that span the technology ecosystem.
 
The selection process involved a competitive review that evaluated semiconductor and AI market expertise, global integration capabilities, and delivery of creative launch strategies.
 
“Arm is the foundation of modern computing and AI, with more than 325 billion Arm-based chips shipped and touching 100% of the world’s connected population,” said Erica Rodriguez Pompen, Vice President, External Communications at Arm. “We sought an agency with strong tech, semiconductor, and AI storytelling expertise, along with global reach, to partner with us as we scale our story with impact. We’re looking forward to working with Golin as we build the future of computing on Arm.”
 
"It’s a pivotal time for Arm, and we can’t wait to help this visionary company shape its narrative to achieve a new level of visibility and recognition,” said John Derryberry, West Coast Tech Practice Lead at Golin. “We’re excited to work with Arm, bringing our deep technical subject matter understanding, strategic rigor, creative thinking, and data-driven mindset to support Arm’s next chapter.”

Samantha Yong has joined YTL Hotels as its Director of Marketing & Communications.Based in Malaysia, she oversees brand strategy, media relations, and digital engagement across YTL Hotels’ Malaysian resorts and international portfolio.

Samantha brings more than 15 years of industry experience from her previous roles at Deloitte Malaysia, Monash University Malaysia and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.