As part of Melco Resorts & Entertainment’s commitment to developing local talent – which aims to inspire to aspire, and to help local youth reach for their maximum potential, the Company and the East Asian Super League (EASL) today co-organized two community outreach events to benefit local youth and coaches – enabling them the chance to learn from and be inspired by professional basketball players and coaches from Meralco Bolts and Ryukyu Golden Kings. The events were held ahead of “Melco Style Presents: Clash of the Champions”, an intense battle between two of Asia’s biggest pro basketball teams: Meralco Bolts from the Philippines Basketball Association (PBA) and Ryukyu Golden Kings from Japan’s B. League which will be held at Studio City on December 13.
Ms. Akiko Takahashi, Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff to Melco Chairman & CEO, said, “Melco has always been dedicated to inspiring individuals to pursue their dreams and continues to provide opportunities to support everyone in maximizing their potential. We are delighted to collaborate with EASL to invite the professional players and coaches from two of Asia’s biggest professional basketball teams to join us in sharing their personal journey as professional athletes and to offer valuable insights into the world of professional basketball, allowing everyone present to develop a deeper understanding of the sport. We will continue to collaborate with renowned partners from around the world to develop innovative corporate social responsibility programs for the development of the local community in Macau.”
During a sharing session hosted at Macao Sam Yuk Middle School, Mr. Chris Newsome and Mr. Chris Banchero from Meralco Bolts and Mr. Hugh Watanabe and Mr. Yoshiya Uematsu from Ryukyu Golden Kings, together with EASL Ambassadors, Mr. Sol Mercado and Mr. Jay Washington, provided insights into their professional basketball careers and shared their experiences from past international tournaments. The session was attended by students from Macao Sam Yuk Middle School and members of the Macao Special Olympics. Supported by Melco’s basketball team volunteers, they were also given the opportunity to take part in shooting competitions with the two professional teams, learning through playing, with medals awarded to the best performers. Giveaways and autograph sessions that took place during the event were also hugely popular.
Following that, a Coaches Clinic took place at Seer Arena, Studio City, where around 30 teachers and also coaches from China Macau Basketball Association were invited to meet with and learn from Meralco Bolts’ Head Coach, Mr. Luigi Trillo. Mr. Trillo shared his coaching experience on working with young athletes, including skills to help develop the psychological and physical strength and conditioning of young athletes.
