December 2, 2012 – Title-sponsored by Galaxy Entertainment Group (“GEG”) for the 9th consecutive year, the annual sporting event “Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon” kicked off in the early morning this Sunday. With participation surging to reach 500 people, the GEG runners delivered strong performance to take home the Group Trophy for the 8th time; Shanti Devi Adhikari from Waldo Casino brought one more medal to the team by winning the championship at “Category-B Female Mini-Marathon”.

6,000 local and overseas athletes, including the GEG runners, gathered at the Olympic Sport Center Stadium at 5 am to set off on their marathon journey. Joining the runners at the starting point were Mr. Vong Iao Lek, President of Macau Sport Development Board, Mr. Ma Iao Hang, President of the Association of Athletics of Macau, and Mr. Francis Lui, Vice Chairman of GEG, who kicked off the race with a blast of a horn. Mr. Francis Lui said, “The 9-year title-sponsorship signifies GEG’s ongoing effort on promoting local sports development. We greatly encourage our team members to participate in this meaningful event, which does not only inspire us with its spirit of commitment and perseverance, but also makes us realize the importance of exercise in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.”

Among the 500 GEG runners were some of the executive members such as Mr. Philip Cheng, Director of GEG, Mr. Michael Mecca, President & Chief Operating Officer of GEG, Mr. Gabriel Hunterton, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Galaxy Macau™, and Mr. Charles So, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of StarWorld Hotel. They were boosted by their colleagues who sent cheers and passed out drinks along the route, not only to the GEG runners but also to other athletes.

Shanti Devi Adhikari from the security department of Waldo Casino joined the Mini Marathon this year with her husband, Karki Ramlal, who is also working in the same department as hers. The couple has achieved great results in the race this year as Shanti was crowned the champion of “Category-B Female Mini-Marathon” and Karki was awarded the bronze at “Category-C Male Mini-Marathon”. Having joined the Marathon for 8 years, Shanti said, “I am very happy to become the winner. It was a tough competition but thanks to the support from my colleagues and my experience in the Marathon, I was able to surpass other strong runners to win the title.”

As in the previous year, the athletes raced around a course which passed through StarWorld Hotel and Galaxy Macau, where they could enjoy the beautiful surroundings of these 2 magnificent buildings. Cheerleaders were specially arranged by GEG to perform cheering and dancing alongside the route for the runners. The fastest male and female invited athletes, as well as the fastest male and female local athletes were rewarded with big prizes sponsored by GEG in recognition of their outstanding performance.