Countdown to ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’ begins
Register today to walk/run on November 18
In Support of UNHCR’s #Voices4 Refugees
KUWAIT: With just days to go until the ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon,’ Gulf Bank along with Pro-Vision Sport Management held a press conference to announce the launch of Kuwait’s most exciting sporting event. The ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’ will take place at 7:00 am on Saturday, November 18, 2017 at Souq Sharq.
Participants of all ages and fitness levels can participate, by either walking or running one of the four distance categories: the Family Fun Walk/Run (5KM); Souq Run for regular runners (10KM); Half Marathon for more advanced runners (21KM); and Kuwait’s only Full Marathon (42KM). The Marathon starts and ends at Souq Sharq and the route takes participants past some of Kuwait’s most recognisable landmarks including Souk Al Mubarakiya, the Gulf Bank head office, the Grand Mosque, Al Seif Palace, the National Assembly, the Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Center, and Kuwait Towers.
Each year the Marathon partners with a leading group to raise awareness of an important issue. For the second consecutive year, the ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’ is partnering with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to support its #Voices4Refugees campaign. This awareness campaign aims to make stories of refugees heard around the world and encourages people to add their voices to the campaign.
Tremendous success
Salma Al-Hajjaj, General Manager of Human Resources at Gulf Bank said: “We are just days away from the ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’, and excitement is really building. The event has seen tremendous success over the years and we look forward to another fantastic edition. The ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’ is a very special initiative for us as it reflects our commitment to social responsibility for our beloved country, Kuwait. We are further proud to have the support of numerous Kuwaiti government ministries and agencies this year, which demonstrates the importance of this event for Kuwait. We are also glad to be once again partnering with the UNHCR and their #Voices4Refugees campaign that advocates for all refugees to live in safety.”
With regard to social responsibility, Al-Hajjaj added: “The ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’ encourages an active and healthy lifestyle, which is an important component of our corporate social responsibility program, as is our support for youth and entrepreneurs. We are very proud of the Pro-Vision Sport Management team who we partner with to hold this event. When the team came to us with their idea, we saw two young Kuwaiti entrepreneurs with a vision and the determination to succeed. As Gulf Bank is heavily invested in supporting Kuwait youth and entrepreneurs, we joined together to create an event that puts Kuwait on the international sporting map.”
Ahmad Al-Huzami, CEO of Pro-Vision Sport Management, said: “We thank Gulf Bank for their belief in us and Pro-Vision Sport Management. When my partner Ahmed Al Majed and I first started organizing sporting events, we had hoped to create something special, today the positive response to the ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’ exceeds our expectations. It is the only road race in Kuwait to have three of its longer distance race categories accredited by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS), meaning they serve as qualifying events for major international marathons. Last year competition was strong and we saw over 100 nationalities take part from around the world including Kuwait, US, Europe, and the wider GCC. This year, we anticipate even more people taking part and enjoying the event as part of an active and healthy lifestyle. We would like to thank the Ministry of Interior, the Municipality, the Jaber Al Ahmed Cultural Center, the Public Authority for Sports, the Ministry of Information, Souq Sharq, and all our sponsors for their support of the ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’.”
Raising awareness
With regard to the importance of the private sector in raising awareness about humanitarian issues, Lulwa Al-Terkait, External Relations Associate at UNHCR UN Refugee Agency: “I would like, in the name of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to Gulf Bank for choosing for the second year in a row to address and highlight the issues of refugees and displaced persons around the world in one of Kuwait’s most prominent sports and social events, the ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’, for its success locally, regionally and internationally. We are proud that Gulf Bank has chosen to work again with UNHCR, as this step reflects successful cooperation with the private sector in Kuwait, where Gulf Bank is one of its pillars.”
Dr Hamdan added: “UNHCR launched the #Voices4Refugees campaign in 2015, an electronic initiative inviting you to register your names in a global petition claiming the right of every refugee to live in safety and dignity regardless of religion, nationality or race and to equal treatment in terms of protection, assistance and resettlement opportunities. The campaign also seeks to gather your signatures and express your moral solidarity with these refugees through the campaign’s marathon website https://voices.unhcr.org/en/gulfbank as this solidarity shows them that the world is aware of their suffering and supports them in facing these challenges.”
Hamed Al-Hazeem, Director of Sports for All at the Public Authority for Sports said: “As an authority, we aim at providing the needed support to initiatives that highlight the importance the several types of sports, therefore, we thank Gulf Bank for this renowned event which provides a sophisticated model of sports focused events. We wish participants all the best”
Real value
As a platinum sponsor for the event, Waleed AlKhashti, Corporate Communications and Relations Director - Zain Kuwait added: “Zain has always been committed to taking part in activities that add real value to the community, and we know that Gulf Bank 642 Marathon is one of those, as it’s considered one of the biggest annual health driven events in Kuwait, and offers a wonderful opportunity to increase awareness of health and fitness issues”.
Speaking on behalf of platinum sponsor Chevrolet Alghanim, Abdallah Mouazzen, General Manager for Chevrolet Alghanim, said: “We are proud to participate in the ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’ for the second time. At Chevrolet Alghanim, we continuously support and sponsor activities throughout the year that entail community engagement. This is a great event that reaches not only to the youth, but to all segments of Kuwait’s society, and we are happy to be a part of it.”
To find out more about the Gulf Bank 642 Marathon and to book your place, visit www.gulfbank642marathon.com or @GulfBank642 on Instagram. Add your voice to the #Voices4Reguees campaign at voices.unhcr.org. The number 642 stands for the number of muscles in the body.