MACAU, Dec. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Organized by the Sports Bureau of the Macau SAR Government, Galaxy Entertainment Group ("GEG") and the General Association of Athletics of Macau ("AGAM"), the 2023 Galaxy Entertainment Macao International Marathon was successfully held on December 3. The Macao International Marathon has reached its 42nd anniversary this year with GEG joining the Sports Bureau and AGAM as organizers for the first time after having title sponsored the event for the past 19 years.
The race was kicked off with the sounding of air horns by Mr. Pun Weng Kun, President of the Sports Bureau; Mr. Francis Lui, Vice Chairman of GEG; Mr. Philip Cheng, Director of GEG; and Mr. Chan Pou Sin, Vice President of AGAM on the race day. As new elements were added to this year's racecourse design, runners were able to pass through various iconic tourism landmarks during the race, including the Galaxy Macau™ integrated resort.
A large delegation of invited runners from home and abroad achieved astounding results. In the full-marathon, Ethiopia's Debele Fikadu Kebebe claimed first place in the men's 42.195 km race with a time of 2:14:05 and Zinashwork Yenew Ambi claimed first place in the women's 42.195 km with a time of 2:33:38. In the half-marathon, Kenya's Mathew Samperu and Kenya's Ziporah Kingori won first place in the men's and women's races, with a time of 1:04:00 and 1:15:05 respectively. As for the mini-marathon, Ip Weng Tou (Group A), Ho Chi Tong (Group B) and Paras Kumar Khadka (Group C) won first place in the men's races respectively; Mui I Kei (Group A), Ng Weng Ian (Group B) and Rosa Maria Correia dos Santos Mota (Group C) won first place in the women's races respectively.
This year, GEG had the largest number of employees participating in the race and claimed the "Active Group Trophy" for the Public and Private Entities category, which is also the 19th consecutive year that GEG won the related group trophy, fully showing its active participation in this internationally renowned sports event. The Most Creative Costume Award was hosted again to enliven the event atmosphere, where top ten winners received MOP3,000 Galaxy Macau dining vouchers sponsored by GEG.
Meanwhile, GEG also continued to promote friendship and sports exchanges in the community by co-launching the Marathon "Run with a Partner" Training Program with the Macau Special Olympics ("MSO") this year. A "Run with a Partner" Marathon workshop was held on November 26 at the Grand Resort Deck of Galaxy Macau, during which MSO members and GEG Runner's Club members received training under the guidance of Mr. Kenny Leong Meng Tak, champion of the Macau athletes' category in the "2022 Galaxy Entertainment Macao International Marathon" half-marathon.
Furthermore, the 2023 Galaxy Entertainment Macao International Marathon Carnival was also held successfully at the Broadway Food Street of Broadway Macau™ and the event enjoyed a great vogue as always. This year, the new Kids Running Competition received an overwhelming response from parents and children. The wide array of Marathon-themed crossover products by cultural and creative SMEs, busking and street performances by local artists, and lucky draw prizes such as an iPhone 15 Pro, vouchers of a one-night stay in Andaz Macau with complimentary breakfasts for two, certificates to the Banyan Tree Spa Macau, movie tickets to the Galaxy Cinemas, and Wavey the peacock of Galaxy Kidz souvenirs – all contributed to making the Marathon Carnival appealing to participants and visitors, thereby demonstrating Macau's "Tourism + Sports" charm and driving forward the "1+4" adequate diversification development strategy.
Over the years, GEG has been proactively contributing to the Macau SAR Government's sports development policies by supporting, organizing and participating in various international sporting events, in hopes of fostering Macau's sports tourism development and deepening the city's positioning as a World Center of Tourism and Leisure.
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The race was officially kicked off with the sounding of air horns by Mr. Pun Weng Kun (second from right), President of the Sports Bureau; Mr. Francis Lui (second from left), Vice Chairman of GEG; Mr. Philip Cheng (first from left), Director of GEG; and Mr. Chan Pou Sin (first from right), Vice President of AGAM on the race day.
About Galaxy Entertainment Group (HKEx stock code: 27)
Galaxy Entertainment Group ("GEG" or the "Group") is one of the world's leading resorts, hospitality and gaming companies. It primarily develops and operates a large portfolio of integrated resort, retail, dining, hotel and gaming facilities in Macau. The Group is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and is a constituent stock of the Hang Seng Index.
GEG was one of the three original concessionaires in Macau when the gaming industry was liberalized in 2002. In 2022, GEG was awarded a new gaming concession valid from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2032. GEG has a successful track record of delivering innovative, spectacular and award-winning properties, products and services, underpinned by a "World Class, Asian Heart" service philosophy, that has enabled it to consistently outperform the market in Macau.
GEG operates three flagship destinations in Macau: on Cotai, Galaxy Macau™, one of the world's largest integrated destination resorts, and the adjoining Broadway Macau™, a unique landmark entertainment and food street destination; and on the Peninsula, StarWorld Macau, an award winning premium property.
The Group has the largest development pipeline of any concessionaire in Macau. When The Next Chapter of its Cotai development is completed, GEG's resorts footprint on Cotai will be more than 2 million square meters, making the resorts, entertainment and MICE precinct one of the largest and most diverse integrated destinations in the world. GEG is also progressing plans for its Hengqin project and we are also expanding our focus beyond Hengqin and Macau to potentially include opportunities within the rapidly expanding Greater Bay Area. These projects will help GEG develop and support Macau in its vision of becoming a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
In July 2015, GEG made a strategic investment in Société Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Étrangers à Monaco ("Monte-Carlo SBM"), a world renowned owner and operator of iconic luxury hotels and resorts in the Principality of Monaco. GEG continues to explore a range of international development opportunities with Monte-Carlo SBM.
GEG is committed to delivering world class unique experiences to its guests and building a sustainable future for the communities in which it operates. For more information about the Group, please visit www.galaxyentertainment.com
