HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 3 June 2024 - Sports Charity Programme presents: WELL DUNK! Public Estate Basketball League and Training Programme – Grand Finals 2023-2024, was successfully held at Southorn Indoor Stadium. This year, the Grand Finals is part of the Sports Charity Programme, fully supported by Tencent Foundation and Gaw Capital People's Place. NBA legends Stephon Marbury and Joakim Noah attended the two exciting Gold Cup Finals. They joined the guest of honour, Ms. Winnie Ho Wing-yin, JP, the Secretary for Housing, in presenting the awards to the young basketball champions. Their presence encouraged the rising talents on the court to keep striving for excellence. In the Boys Gold Cup Final, the Choi Fook Stars from Kwun Tong defeated the Wah Fu Splash Brothers from the Southern District. Meanwhile in the Girls WELL DUNK! Gold Cup Final, Kai Ching Enchanters from Kowloon City defeated the Model Sirius from the Eastern District. The event has engaged with over 1,900 live spectators.
640 Young Basketball Players Competed for Glory
WELL DUNK! has entered its fifth season with a total of 24 boys teams and 8 girls teams, calling upon over 640 young basketball players to compete for their respective housing estates. The teams have competed in over 320 matches over the past eight months, and after intense battles, the four finalist teams have made it to the "Basketball Mecca" of Hong Kong – the Southorn Stadium, Indoor Stadium. The Gold Cup Finals continued to attract a full house this year. We are delighted to invite our esteemed guest of honour, Ms. Ho Wing-yin, Winnie, JP, Secretary for Housing to present awards, together with the support of Mr. Fang Jianming, Deputy Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Legislative Council members, and other distinguished guests.
Ms. Ho Wing-yin Winnie, JP, Secretary for Housing presents awards and congratulate the winning teams, and delivers a speech, "I like the name 'WELL DUNK!', which is a clever play on the famous basketball term 'slam dunk', while the character '邨' in its Chinese name represents housing estates. Dozens of public-housing-estate-based basketball teams have already formed, and with over 190 public housing estates in Hong Kong, I believe the 'WELL DUNK!' programme has immense potential to grow. I encourage all you young players out there - regardless of your background, you undoubtedly have the ability to 'JUMP' higher and reach greater heights in the future!"
WELL DUNK! Grand Finals Supported by Sports Charity Programme for the First Time, Igniting Sports Dreams of Youth Together
Mr. Tang Yibin, Vice President of Tencent mentioned, "Through the Sports Charity Programme, we witnessed the dreams of young people soaring high, fuelled by the spirit of teamwork. We hope to encourage more youths with dreams in their hearts to get moving, bravely pursue and set goals, and achieve a life without limits."
Ms. Carmen Ho, Sustainability Director of Gaw Capital People's Place, mentioned, "Gaw Capital has been a proud sponsor of the WELL DUNK! Programme since its inaugural season, sponsoring teams and served as a venue partner for five consecutive years. For the past two years, Gaw Capital has also co-title sponsored the Grand Finals.
In recent years, Gaw Capital's efforts have centred on renovating basketball courts in public housing estates. Starting in January of this year, the company has partnered with the Tencent Foundation to organise the Sports Charity Programme. Through this initiative, Gaw Capital aims to infuse local communities with positive energy and promote social inclusion by harnessing the power of sports."
Mr. William Fong, Board Chairperson of InspiringHK Sports Foundation (IHKSports) is grateful for the overwhelming support and mentioned, "We are deeply grateful to Tencent Foundation and Gaw Capital People's Place for jointly title-sponsoring this year's WELL DUNK! Grand Finals. This year, we have the honour of hosting two NBA Legends as our special guests, which has drawn a record-breaking number of spectators. I hope everyone has felt the passion and fighting spirit of our students. We are committed to continuing our efforts to empower the youth of Hong Kong through sports. As this year's theme suggests, our goal is to help every youth in the city discover their own path to becoming an "MVP"!"
Youths Rooted in Housing Estates, Inspired by NBA Legends to Unleash Their Full Potential
In the Boys Gold Cup Finals, Choi Fook Stars by 41:35 to defeat Wah Fu Splash Brothers. Wong Wing Hei scored 12 points individually, earning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
In the Girls Gold Cup Finals, Kai Ching Enchanters, who were last year's runner-up, made a comeback to defeat Model Sirius by 43:39. Chan Ka Yan led Kai Ching Enchanters to the championship, scored a game-high 17 points and earned the MVP of Girls Gold Cup Finals.
The tip-off for both Gold Cup finals were hosted by Mr. Stephon Marbury, the NBA and CBA legend who was appointed as the first WELL DUNK! Ambassador last year. Marbury, along with another NBA legend Joakim Noah, crowned the award-winning teams and encouraged the young basketball players from Hong Kong's housing estates to continue pursuing their dreams. The two NBA legends also engaged in interactive games, which generated excitement and energy among the spectators in the stadium.
As with previous seasons, the champions of the boys and girls team were awarded trophies, championship rings, and medals designed by Mr. Ren Zhe, Renowned Sculptor, IHKSports' Honourary Creative Director. They represent the values of unity, perseverance, and self-challenge inherent in the tournament. Additionally, IHKSports has once again collaborated with local basketball artist Roy Cheng this year, designing a special-edition postcard featuring the theme "We Are All MVPs" to be given to the attendees.
Results of the fifth season of WELL DUNK! Public Estate Basketball League and Training Programme
| Men's Division | Women's Division |
| Champion: Choi Fook Stars First runner-up: Wah Fu Splash Brothers Second runner-up: Yat Tung Lions Finals MVP：Wong Wing Hei (Choi Fook Stars) | Champion: Kai Ching Enchanters First runner-up: Model Sirius Second runner-up: Ming Tak Angels Finals MVP：Chan Ka Yan (Kai Ching Enchanters) |
The sixth season of the WELL DUNK! is now open for enrollment, calling upon young basketball players from public housing estates! We will continue to organise 24 boys teams and 8 girls teams. Youths aged 13 to 17 who are interested in participating can register at welldunk.org starting from today.
Hashtag: #InspiringHKSportsFoundation
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About Sports Charity Programme
The Sports Charity Programme was launched in January 2024, fully supported and sponsored by Tencent Foundation and Gaw Capital People's Place. Three local beneficiary organisations (InspiringHK Sports Foundation, Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, and RunOurCity Foundation) together promote this charitable sports programme, aiming to bring a sports culture into the community, promote sports inclusion and create a vibrant community.
About Tencent Charity Foundation
Tencent Charity Foundation (hereafter "Tencent Foundation") was founded in 2007 as the first charitable foundation in China initiated by an internet enterprise. Tencent has pledged to donate a certain proportion of its profits annually to the foundation. In 2022, Tencent Foundation expanded its development in Hong Kong, supporting the local communities during the pandemic, promoting the "99 Giving Day" and collaborating with local charitable organisations to advocate internet philanthropy in the city.
Tencent Foundation is committed to promoting the integration and development of the internet and public welfare, connecting charitable organisations, the public, the government, enterprises, and media through technology and platforms, and driving innovation in philanthropic models with technology, hoping to make every small act of kindness more powerful.
About Gaw Capital People’s Place
"People's Place", under the management of Gaw Capital Partners, has begun to operate 29 community shopping centres in Hong Kong since March 2018. People's Place has creatively revitalised multiple community shopping centres and facilities, offering a diverse mix of retail options and restaurants, installing crucial public facilities, developing distinctive wet markets, and elevating traditional basketball courts to stylish sports hubs.
Our revitalised projects have added values to people's day-to-day lives. With the creative refurbishments that both embrace the local vibe and foster community bonding, we have successfully created unique and vibrant community hubs that engage the youth, adults, and elderly.
About InspiringHK Sports Foundation
InspiringHK Sports Foundation is a local charity established in 2012, with a vision of empowering better youths through sports. Our mission is to provide equal sports training opportunities for underprivileged children, youths, and those with special educational needs, at the same time promote gender equality, social inclusion and healthy lifestyle. We carry out our mission through district-based and territory-wide sports programmes and public education activities. As of today, IHKSports has provided professional sports training for over 15,800 students, accumulating a total of over 510,000 hours. Public educational activities, on the other hand, have accumulated a total attendance of over 26,100.
WELL DUNK! Public Estate Basketball League & Training Programme
2023 marks a significant milestone for the programme, as it has successfully expanded its learning activities beyond Hong Kong, providing opportunities to students, including alumni, to participate in Mainland and overseas exchange programmes. Furthermore, the programme takes great pride in announcing the appointment of NBA and CBA legend Stephon Marbury as its ambassador.
source: InspiringHK Sports Foundation
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