THE OPENING CEREMONY OF PENANG FIBA 3X3 CHALLENGER
SPEECH BY YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW
THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF
PENANG FIBA 3X3 CHALLENGER
10 SEPT 2022 | MAIN ATRIUM, QUEENSBAY MALL
YB Soon Lip Chee
Penang State Exco for Youth and Sports
YB Kumaresan Aramugan
Penang State Assemblyman for Batu Uban
Dato’ Ooi Khoon Yeong
President Of Penang Basketball Association
Dato’ Cheng Mei Man
Managing Director of Mei Hotel
Ms. Tan Soo Siang
Councilor Of Penang Island City Council
Ms. Grace Khor
Managing Director of World Hoops
Mr. Ng Wui Heong
Chairman Of Youngsters Basketball Club
Ms. Lee Sue Ling
Center Manager of Queensbay Mall
Members of the media, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
Good Evening, Everyone!
Firstly, on behalf of the Penang State Government, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all newcomers to Penang. To all locals and to those returning, we are glad to see you again, and we hope you will enjoy this exciting weekend. Not to mention, we also like to extend a warm welcome and invitation to everyone watching from across the globe to come visit our beautiful state.
After a few challenging years, we are grateful for the opportunity to host this incredible event and bring back some joy into our lives. Given the resilience each of us has displayed, I trust we all deserve to have some fun and spend good times with one another. Unquestionably, the return of the Penang FIBA 3x3 Challenger, represents a new and promising start for all of us.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Since its official launch as the second basketball discipline in 2010, the 3x3 basketball has been rapidly gaining popularity. It is now an official sport in both the Olympic and Commonwealth Games with its first appearance in Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
As a prestigious international competition, the Penang FIBA 3x3 Challenger will include 16 teams in total, representing France, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Qatar, the United States of America (USA), Serbia, Switzerland, as well as Malaysia.
Many basketball fans are aware that the FIBA 3x3 Challenger is the second highest ranking tournament in the FIBA 3x3 basketball events. It is one of the contests in which the best teams gain tickets to compete in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour. Thus, the champion and first runner-up of the Penang FIBA 3x3 Challenger, whose names will be unveiled tomorrow after the final, will earn a spot in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Paris Masters. I hereby wish all players all the best and keep up the fighting spirit!
It is worth mentioning that this is the fifth time Penang is organizing such an exciting event, with the first FIBA 3x3 Challenger taking place back in 2016. Additionally, in July, Penang had the honour and privilege of hosting the Asia Conference of the FIBA 3x3 U23 Nations League 2022 at Prangin Mall for the first time. This indeed demonstrates Penang’s capability and competency in organising world-class events.
We are grateful that such prestigious tournaments will continue to establish Penang as one of the top destinations in the world. These special, international sporting events allow us to showcase our beautiful home and invite people from around the country and the world to enjoy everything Penang has to offer. Thus, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all visitors to truly experience our culture and community throughout this weekend.
Also, before I conclude my speech, let me remind everyone that such sporting events are crucial and certainly in line with our LovePENANG initiative, which aims to inspire unity and goodwill among the people through activities that highlight the significance of our beautiful state. It also correlates with one of the strategic initiatives under our Penang2030 vision, which is centred on empowering people to strengthen civic participation.
I am confident that with the various efforts and contributions of the public and private sectors to promote the sport, the basketball scene in Penang will rise and gain widespread popularity, especially amongst the younger generation.
Having said that, I would like to express my gratitude to each one of you for your support and dedication. I wish the event and its participants every success, and I hope all of you will have a wonderful weekend.
Thank you.