18-team 4th UGKK Inter-Church Basketball Tournament begins today
KOTA KINABALU: A total of 18 teams are taking part in the 4th UGKK Inter-Church Basketball Tournament which starts today at the Kota Kinabalu Community Hall here.
Fourteen of those teams are in the men’s competition while four are in the women’s category.
Organising chairman Tai Ket Hau said the opening ceremony would be held tomorrow (June 17) and assistant minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Edward Yong Oui Fah is expected to grace the event as the guest of honor.
Among the invited guests are MABA vice president-cum-SABA president, Phan Chee Yong and SABA advisor Phan Chee Yuan.
Aside from the exciting opening match between the champion and 1st runner-up of last year’s tournament, Tai said there are also various cheer-leading team performances and other programmes.
Meanwhile, Tai also emphasised that they would also be collaborating with Uber to offer free/discounted rides to the event venue to prevent potential traffic and parking difficulties.
Apart from that, the organiser also arranged food and beverage providers from nearby areas, namely Chopping Block Restaurant and GongCha.
“With this, the audiences will be able to enjoy food and beverage supplies without stepping out of the lobby hall,” he said.
Tai also said that the lobby is arranged with photo booth for fans to take various photos including other stalls such as the stall that features UGKK merchandises.
He further elaborated that, aside from strengthening relationship between churches in the Kota Kinabalu area, the championship also envisioned to create a platform to encourage the younger generations to be involved in healthy activities such as basketball, and to increase communication through different religious.
“The support from public is very much appreciated and we welcome everyone to come and join us in this meaningful event,” Tai added.