Spirit of Competition

Spirit of Competition was an event that occurred from August 8–24, 2008 (coinciding with the in Beijing, China).

Official description
"Every two years, the Spirits of Competition grow especially fervent, and draw close to the mortal realm. During such times, members of both the Alliance and Horde can honor the spirits and earn Competitor's Tabards by seeking to defeat one another in the battlegrounds. For victory in competition, they can also earn the spirits' favor in the form of a prized gold medal - and the special pet it summons."

Rewards

 * Competitor's Tabard - mailed to all participants in any battleground, both winning and losing. You MUST have stayed for the full duration of the battleground.
 * Gold Medallion - containing the Spirit of Competition companion (small red and yellow Asian-style dragon). Every time you win any battleground, you had a chance this pet is mailed to you. (It was stated to be a 50% chance each time you win, but this appears to be incorrect. What fits the observed win comments was that it was automatically 'rolled for' among the winning team characters. Also stated "The battleground you play doesn't matter", it appears it did matter, smaller battle grounds (Warsong Gulch) gave better odds of obtaining this pet.)
 * Competitor's Souvenir - containing the 'Essence of Competition' companion (small blue and purple Asian dragon), available only on servers in China.