![\"Players](\"https:\/\/apicms.thestar.com.my\/uploads\/images\/2026\/07\/20\/4018426.JPG\")
Players in action during the 3×3 competition. \u2014 Photos: Handout<\/p>\nA TOTAL of 150 Malaysian youths came together for the Hoops + Health Community Basketball Festival 2026.<\/p>\n
It also marked the third year of Sun Life Malaysia and Beyond Sport\u2019s joint effort to promote youth well-being through sport.<\/p>\n
The festival gathered young people for a basketball clinic for participants aged 12 and below, followed by a 3×3 tournament for those aged 17 and under.<\/p>\n
The event held at Ampang Jaya Basketball Court was designed to encourage active living, build confidence and strengthen social connections through the power of sport.<\/p>\n
Using basketball as its anchor, the programme tackles rising sedentary behaviour among young people.<\/p>\n
The initiative began with the revitalisation of the Kuala Ampang community basketball court in Ampang, Selangor.<\/p>\n
It has since impacted more than 400 youths and coaches through free six\u2011month basketball and coaching programmes.<\/p>\n
Through trained coaches delivering activities within their own communities, the programme has indirectly reached over 3,000 youths nationwide, the insurer said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Players in action during the 3×3 competition. \u2014 Photos: Handout<\/p>\n
Sun Life Malaysia president and country head Ho Teck Seng said Hoops + Health has grown into a sustained platform for youth well-being.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen how regular access to sport helps young people stay active, build confidence and develop healthier habits.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re proud of the progress made in creating meaningful opportunities for more youths across Malaysia,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Beyond Sport\u2019s executive director Fred Fikouhi\u2011Turner echoed the sentiment, emphasising the need for collective action.<\/p>\n
\u201cYouth inactivity cannot be solved by a single organisation alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cProgress happens when businesses, community organisations and coaches work together with a shared purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasketball provides a practical and inclusive platform to encourage active lifestyles, confidence\u2011building and life\u2011skills development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Local partners, including Jungle Cats Basketball Academy, the Nicol David Organisation and USJ20 Basketball Club, played a crucial role in delivering community\u2011based activities and youth engagement programmes.<\/p>\n
Nicol highlighted sport\u2019s wider impact, saying: \u201cSport is a powerful platform for youth development, helping them build resilience, self\u2011belief and life skills that support their overall growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jungle Cats head coach Alvin Kwong added that basketball often becomes a positive anchor for young people.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives them routine, belonging and an opportunity to develop teamwork, discipline and perseverance.\u201d<\/p>\n
USJ20 Basketball Club\u2019s Bryan Chieng said structured programmes create meaningful opportunities for young people to stay engaged, build relationships and develop positive values.<\/p>\n
Across Asia, Sun Life has committed RM4.4mil towards the 2025-2026 Hoops + Health cycle, supporting programme delivery, coach education, facility upgrades and community initiatives.<\/p>\n
The programme aims to impact 45,000 lives during this period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A TOTAL of 150 Malaysian youths came together for the Hoops + Health Community Basketball Festival 2026. It…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":811311,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,386267,386266,85,386265,46770,12777],"class_list":["post-811310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-beyond-sport","tag-hoops-health","tag-sports","tag-sun-life-malaysia","tag-youth-development","tag-youth-empowerment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=811310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/811311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=811310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=811310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=811310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}