Yao Ming (left) and Francis Lui (right), Vice Chairman of
Galaxy Entertainment Group, exchanged souvenirs.
The Galaxy Entertainment Group 2023 the 11th Yao Foundation Charity Game and its series of 6 extended activities took place in Macau between September 16 and 17. It is hosted by Yao Foundation and China Youth Development Foundation; co-sponsored by Chinese Basketball Association; supported by the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, the Sports Bureau, the Macao Government Tourism Office, the Education and Youth Development Bureau and the Health Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Beijing Olympic City Development Center and the Federation of Macau-China Sports General Association; co-hosted and operated by Colorfull Cultural Technology Co., Ltd.; co-organized by Galaxy Entertainment Group, Sports and Children’s Programming Center of China Media Group, Macau-China Basketball Association, Starz Sports Youth Culture Co., Ltd, Megahub Planning Co., Ltd. and title-sponsored by Galaxy Entertainment Group.
Held on September 17 at Macau’s most iconic and advanced Galaxy Arena of Galaxy Macau, this was the first debut of the Yao Foundation Charity Game in the city. Uniting a constellation of renowned basketball stars from around the world, the event delivered an exceptional basketball showcase to the audience and enhanced the public’s awareness to sports and charitable endeavors.
The Chinese Basketball All-Star Team played against the International Basketball All-Star Team.
Kyranbek Makel lifted a young player up to play dunk.
At the Charity Game, Yao Ming, Founder of Yao Foundation and Chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association delivered an opening remark, expressing gratitude to the Macao SAR Government and the community for their tremendous support. Francis Lui, Vice Chairman of Galaxy Entertainment Group, inaugurated the Charity Game, following the screening of the documentary “Team Together Wuhan” produced by the Yao Foundation, the opening film of one of the extended activities – the Hive 5 Sports Short Film Festival.
Participating players at the Charity Game included an array of basketball stars, namely, Fang Shuo, Zhai Xiaochuan, Kyranbek Makel, Jeremy Shu-How Lin, Isaiah Thomas, along with popular figures like Li Wenhan, Huang Zhiwei, and Liu Haoyuan. The players electrified the atmosphere with their swift movement, seamless teamwork, and dazzling display of technique and strategy, attracting more than 100 media from Macau, Hong Kong and Mainland China to engage in the basketball fever. At last, the International Basketball All-star Team won 147-144.
In the game of “Fantastic 3rd Quarter”, the tradition of Yao Foundation Charity Game, four young players from Macau-China Basketball Association teamed up with twenty young players from Yao Foundation Hope Primary School Basketball Season, to compete with the Chinese Basketball All-Star Team and the International Basketball All-Star Team players on the court.
The Galaxy Entertainment Group Hive 5 Sports Short Film Festival was kicked off at the Galaxy Cinemas of Galaxy Macau.
Yao Ming presented trophies as tribute to sports enthusiasts that embody Chinese sportsmanship.
In Philanthropy Forum various guests discussed over
“sports to propel youth and community development”.
Attending guests and all team players, coaches and referees took a group photo at the Charity Game.
Yao Ming shook hands and interacted with students from Macau Kao Yip Middle School.
The event also saw a list of other sports athletes in attendance, including Su Bingtian, Asian 100-meter sprinter; Fan Zhiyi, the first Chinese award winner of “Asian Footballer of the Year”; Olympic champion Wang Junxia and Basketball figures Yi Jianlian, Zhu Fangyu, Zhang Yunsong, Sun Yue and Xu Liming whom Yao Ming presented trophies as tribute to all sports enthusiasts that embody Chinese sportsmanship and propel its development.
International Basketball Star Firstly Experience Macau
At the pre-game press conference at the Galaxy International Convention Center, Isaiah Thomas expressed his thrill to visit Macau for the first time, bringing about a spectacular basketball performance whilst enjoying Macau’s unique charm as a “World Center of Tourism and Leisure”.
The pre-game press conference was held at the Galaxy International Convention Center.
Buddy Lam, Executive Vice President of Corporate Office of Galaxy Entertainment Group, said in his speech, “Upholding our corporate philosophy of ‘What is taken from the community is to be used for the good of the community’, over the years, GEG has proactively supported a wide array of large-scale sports events and activities in Macau through multi-pronged approaches, thereby enhancing the integration of ‘tourism + sports’ by contributing to the Macao SAR Government’s ‘1+4’ adequate diversification development strategy. Through supporting this event, we hope to elevate the public’s awareness to sports and charitable causes.”
1,000-Minute Short Film Festival at Galaxy Cinemas
Also co-organized and title-sponsored by Galaxy Entertainment Group was the Galaxy Entertainment Group Hive 5 Sports Short Film Festival held at the Galaxy Cinemas of Galaxy Macau. The Short Film Festival included a forum on “How to Spread the Spirit and Culture of Sports” as well as the Macau premiere of the festival’s opening film “Team Together Wuhan”. Renowned guests were invited to share insights and offer trend forecasts on the various forms through which sportsmanship and Chinese characteristics have manifested over the years.
A non-stop charity screening of 29 sports short films, totaling 1,000 minutes, was unfolded at the Galaxy Cinemas during the Festival. Through these captivating films from a diverse range of sports and different countries, viewers were able to tangibly experience the vigor and emotion that sports inspire.
Fostering Community Exchange Through Sports
Furthermore, various extended activities were held to facilitate sports-related community exchanges, including the Campus Visit, Basketball Carnival and the Philanthropy Forum. During the Campus Visit, Yao Ming and other basketball stars visited the Macau Kao Yip Middle School to engage in a riveting exhibition game alongside student athletes, forging unforgettable memories.
The public participated in the fun-filled Basketball Carnival game booth.
At the Basketball Carnival held at the gymnasium of the Macau University of Science and Technology, basketball stars Jeremy Shu-How Lin, Isaiah Thomas delighted the public with their exceptional skills, sweeping the community with basketball culture and fever. To further promote community cohesion through sports, GEG also invited 50 members of various social organizations to participate in the Carnival, appreciate the spectacular basketball performances and interact with the basketball stars with aims of broadening their horizons and creating a joyful basketball experience.
Jeremy Shu-How Lin played basketball whilst Wavey the Peacock of Galaxy Kidz cheering for him.
Delving into topics such as “sports events to promote city image” and “sports to propel youth and community development”, the Philanthropy Forum endeavored to construct a platform for the dissemination of sports philanthropic culture, and offer fresh perspectives for sports development of youths, enabling more ideas to be put into practice and encouraging more people to contribute to the cause of sports philanthropy.
