Thursday, February 21, 2013

Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 Officially Launched


Standard Chartered KL Marathon is more than just a race:
Celebrates five years of nation-building efforts

Kuala Lumpur, 20 February 2013 – Following its success over the past four (4) years, Malaysia’s most anticipated running event is back and scheduled to take place on Sunday, 30 June 2013. The Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 was launched with festivity and colour yesterday by the Minister of Youth and Sports, YB Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek at the Standard Chartered KL Park, a unique location of green and tranquillity amidst the bustling city’s high-rise buildings. The park is the country’s first “pocket park” collaboration under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) Greener KL/ Klang Valley initiative.

The launch was commemorated with the unveiling of a 10-foot tall wall panel depicting a historical photo montage wall, showcasing the evolvement and successes of the Marathon since it first started in 2009. The wall panel will be located at the Park for public viewing until after the Marathon ends. The Minister of Youth and Sports was joined by co-organiser, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) represented by the Deputy Director General (Socio-Economy Development), YBhg Datuk Hj Mhd Amin Nordin bin Abd Aziz on behalf of the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, YBhg Datuk Haji Ahmad Phesal Bin Haji Talib; title sponsor Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Osman Morad; YBhg Dato' DCP Mohamed Bin Salleh, Chief of Police (Kuala Lumpur Contingent); and Marathon owner and organiser, Dirigo Events Sdn Bhd Director Rainer Biemans together with official sporting officials from the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF), Deputy President, YBhg Dato' Wan Hisham bin Wan Salleh and Mr S Vegiyathuman, General Secretary of Federal Territory Amateur Athletic Association (FTAAA) and SCKLM 2013 Race Director.

“I’m glad to be here to celebrate Standard Chartered KL Marathon’s 5th successful year in Malaysia. I applaud the various parties who have successfully showcased growing sporting brilliance through this nation-building event for the past four years. I am confident that by now the Standard Chartered KL Marathon is embedded in our sporting culture and is contributing to nation-building,” said YB Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek during the launch.
Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Minister of Youth and Sports delivering his speech as the Guest of Honour for the launch of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013.
This year’s Marathon, which will be held at Dataran Merdeka carries the theme, “Run for a Reason”, a theme that is parallel to Standard Chartered Marathons around the world. The event offers 12 categories to the public to provide a participation opportunity for every person. Worth to note, the prize package offered for Standard Chartered KL Marathon remains the highest among marathons in Malaysia, with a total prize pot of USD110,000 (RM341,000) this year.
[L to R] – Rainer Biemans, Director of Dirigo Events Sdn Bhd, Osman Morad, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Bhd, and Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Minister of Youth and Sports pointing out that the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 is targeting 30,000 runners this year.
By the people, for the people
A multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual public sports event, the Marathon ecosystem continues to be a platform that fosters comradeship, unity and positive collaboration. The Marathon over the years has forged strong collaborative partnerships between the government, the sporting associations, the private sector and the society in establishing a united platform for the benefit of the people. An estimated of more than 2,400 people are involved in the 6 to 7 months preparation leading up to the Race Day.

Osman Morad, Standard Chartered Bank added, “We always believe that sports shapes and unifies a nation. We have seen the benefits of the Marathon in our community, and we are happy to have been key to this effort. As the country’s first and oldest bank established in 1857, we take pride in contributing to our community and the Marathon is an event we are very proud of.”

Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 announced the “Run-For-Free” Campaign, a promotional campaign where runners can enjoy a full rebate of their Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 registration fees by applying for any Standard Chartered credit card or for a JustOne Current and Savings account.
“This year, Standard Chartered is pleased to introduce special packages where runners can ‘Run for Free’ and other special benefits when they sign up for a credit card or savings or checking account with us. It is yet another feature from Standard Chartered to continually add value for our customers,” Osman added.

Slated to start and finish once again at the country’s historical site of Dataran Merdeka, the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Haji Ahmad Phesal said, “It is only befitting that a monumental country event like the Marathon takes place at Dataran Merdeka where you will be able to see some 30,000 runners and volunteers, officials, supporters, family and friends gathering together to be a force for good.”

Run the marathon and put a smile on the faces of the less fortunate
Over the four years, the Standard Chartered KL Marathon has raised more than RM2.4 million to benefit charities around Malaysia. This year charity recipients are Standard Chartered Foundation, National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM), Ecoknights, and Hospis Malaysia.

The iconic event continues to set new records. This year, within just three (3) weeks of registration opening, more than 14,222 registrations were received surpassing last year’s record by more than 235 per cent registered over the same period. In 2012, participant registration closed six (6) weeks ahead of the deadline following an overwhelming response from the public. This year, Standard Chartered is confident that the target of 30,000 runners will be met soon. Registration started on 30 January 2013 and the closing date is set for 31 May 2013, or when 30,000 sign-ups are reached, whichever comes first.

A fifth year celebration would not be complete without a cake cutting ceremony. [L to R] – YBhg Dato’ Wan Hisham Bin Wan Salleh, Deputy President of Malaysia Athletics Federation (MAF); YBhg Dato’ DCP Mohamed Bin Salleh, Chief of Police (Kuala Lumpur Contingent); Osman Morad, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Bhd; Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Minister of Youth and Sports; Yang Berbahagia Datuk Hj Mhd Amin Nordin Bin Abd Aziz, Deputy Director General (Socio-Economy Development) of DBKL; Rainer Biemans, Director of Dirigo Events Sdn Bhd and Project Director of Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013.
A journey of partnerships
The Standard Chartered KL Marathon is once again made possible by title sponsor Standard Chartered Bank in partnership with Marathon owner and organiser, Dirigo Events Sdn Bhd and co-organiser DBKL and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Rainer Biemans, Director of Dirigo Events Sdn Bhd paid tribute to the support and loyalty of partners and sponsors that have grown with the Marathon as it journeys into its 5th year. Re-joining Standard Chartered Bank, are gold sponsors MSIG and Honda Malaysia; with official partners 100Plus and New Balance. This year, the Marathon welcomes Seiko as the official timing partner.

Running enthusiasts can sign up by registering on the official website www.kl-marathon.com. You can also connect with the other runners through the Standard Chartered KL Marathon Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/SCKLmarathon and keep up-to-date via twitter at @scklmarathon. For queries or assistance, please contact the Marathon organising team at 2013@kl-marathon.com .






Total Charity Funds raised in 4 years

RM 2,053,384
For media information, please contact:

Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad
Dominica Chin, Head of Brand and Sponsorships, Corporate Affairs
+6012 217 0245 | +6012 376 1539 | dominica.chin@sc.com  

Essence Communications at 03-7493 5588:
Karen Teh, ext. 209 | +60 12 448 1450 | karen.teh@my-essence.com
Dominic Chan, ext. 216 | +6016 441 4219 | dominic@my-essence.com

For race event information / assistance, please contact:
Dirigo Events Sdn Bhd
+603 7725 0881 | 2013@kl-marathon.com

About the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013
Back for the fifth year, the Standard Chartered KL Marathon is scheduled to take place on 30 June 2013. The marathon aims to grow to 30,000 total participants, ranging from elite professionals to first-time amateurs. The Standard Chartered KL Marathon boasts participants from all over Malaysia and over 48 countries worldwide. The Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 continues as Malaysia’s flagship running event with top runners competing for a total of USD110,000 prize money in 2013.

For more information on the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon, please refer to:

About Standard Chartered Bank
Standard Chartered – leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East
Standard Chartered is a leading international banking group. It has operated for over 150 years in some of the world's most dynamic markets and earns more than 90 per cent of its profits in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. This geographic focus and commitment to developing deep relationships with clients and customers has driven the Bank’s growth in recent years. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges as well as the Bombay and National Stock Exchanges in India.

With 1,700 offices in 70 markets, the Group offers exciting and challenging international career opportunities for nearly 87,000 staff. It is committed to building a sustainable business over the long term and is trusted worldwide for upholding high standards of corporate governance, social responsibility, environmental protection and employee diversity. Standard Chartered’s heritage and values are expressed in its brand promise, ‘Here for good’.

For further information please visit www.standardchartered.com. Follow Standard Chartered at www.facebook.com/standardchartered and on Twitter @StanChart.

Standard Chartered in Malaysia
Standard Chartered Bank, a member of the Standard Chartered Group was established in Malaysia in 1875 and incorporated as Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad on 29 February 1984.  As Malaysia’s first bank, Standard Chartered leads the way through product innovation, consistent and strong growth performance and sustainability initiatives. The Bank’s two businesses - Wholesale and Consumer Banking – provides a comprehensive range of financial products and services to corporates, institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individuals through its network of 40 branches across Malaysia.

In 2001, Standard Chartered UK established its third global technology & operations centre, Scope International, in Malaysia – the first international bank to do so in the country. Scope International provides software development, banking operations, IT support services and customer service capabilities to the Bank in up to 70 countries. It now houses the biggest software development company in the country, International Software Centre Malaysia (ISCM) and has a total workforce of more than 3,200 people.

Price Solutions Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Standard Chartered Bank UK is also located in Malaysia. The company promotes and markets Standard Chartered’s financial products in Malaysia through a network of direct sales agents.

Standard Chartered Saadiq Berhad, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad’s Islamic Banking subsidiary was established in November 2008. It offers a full suite of Shariah-compliant products and services to individuals and corporates through its financial centres.

Standard Chartered employs more than 7,000 employees in all its Malaysian operations.

About the Event Organiser
Dirigo Events Sdn Bhd is a Kuala Lumpur-based company that provides strategic event management expertise for high scale sporting events. Dirigo is headed by Rainer Biemans and Gloria Ng that collectively have over 30 years in planning international sports events, and includes managing previous Standard Chartered KL Marathons. For more information on Dirigo Events Sdn Bhd, please call +603 7725 0881.

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