150 Youths Hit the Court as Sun Life Malaysia and Beyond Sport Expand Hoops + Health

09 Jul 2026

Now in its third year in Malaysia, the programme has directly impacted over 400 youths and coaches, while indirectly reaching more than 3,000 youths through coach-led activities.

Kuala Lumpur, 9 July 2026: A total of 150 Malaysians youths came together for a day of basketball, teamwork and healthy competition at the Hoops + Health Community Basketball Festival 2026, marking the third year of Sun Life Malaysia and Beyond Sport’s efforts to promote youth wellbeing through sport.

The festival brought together youths from across the community for a basketball clinic for participants aged 12 and below, as well as a 3x3 tournament for youths aged 17 and below. Beyond the competition, the event encouraged young people to stay active, build confidence and connect with their peers through sport.

Launched in 2023, Hoops + Health is a regional youth empowerment initiative by Sun Life and global sport for development foundation Beyond Sport that uses basketball to address rising sedentary behaviour among young people. The programme currently operates in six markets across Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

In Malaysia, Hoops + Health has grown steadily over the past three years. The initiative first revitalised the Kuala Ampang community basketball court and has since directly impacted more than 400 youths and coaches through free six-month basketball and coaching programmes. Through trained coaches delivering activities within their own communities, the programme has also indirectly reached more than 3,000 youths nationwide.

Ho Teck Seng, President and Country Head of Sun Life Malaysia, said, “Hoops + Health has grown into a sustained platform for youth wellbeing. Over the past three years, we have seen how regular access to sport helps young people stay active, build confidence and develop healthier habits. Together with our partners, we are proud of the progress made through this programme in creating meaningful opportunities for more youths across Malaysia to stay active and develop healthier habits.”

Fred Fikouhi-Turner, Executive Director of Beyond Sport, said, “Youth inactivity cannot be solved by a single organisation alone. Progress happens when businesses, community organisations and coaches work together with a shared purpose. Basketball provides a practical and inclusive platform to encourage more active lifestyles, confidence-building and life skills development among youth.”

The programme is supported by local partners including Jungle Cats Basketball Academy, Nicol David Organisation and USJ20 Basketball Club, which play an important role in delivering community-based basketball activities and youth engagement programmes.

Commenting on the partnership, Datuk Nicol David, Founder of Nicol David Organisation, said, “Sport is a powerful platform for youth development - helping them build resilience, self-belief and life skills support their overall growth and wellbeing.”

Alvin Kwong, Head Coach of Jungle Cats Basketball Academy, said, “For many of the youths, basketball becomes more than a sport. It gives them a positive routine, a sense of belonging and an opportunity to develop teamwork, discipline and perseverance.”

Bryan Chieng of USJ20 Basketball Club added, “Structured community sports programmes create meaningful opportunities for youth people to stay engaged, build relationships and develop positive values in a supportive environment.”

Across Asia, Sun Life has committed CAD1.5 million towards the 2025–2026 Hoops + Health programme, supporting programme delivery, coach education, facility improvements and community-based initiatives. Through this investment, the programme aims to impact 45,000 lives during the current programme cycle.

The initiative comes at a critical time. According to Sun Life’s 2022 Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance report, fewer than 20% of Malaysian children and adolescents meet the World Health Organization’s recommendation of at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. Malaysia received a D- grade for overall physical activity, with participation levels particularly low among urban and lower-income communities. The report also found that girls are significantly less active than boys.

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About Sun Life Malaysia

Sun Life Malaysia (Sun Life Malaysia Assurance Berhad and Sun Life Malaysia Takaful Berhad) is a 
joint venture by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada and Khazanah Nasional Berhad.
 
As a life insurance provider and a family takaful operator, Sun Life Malaysia offers a comprehensive 
range of products and services to Malaysians nationwide and is committed to helping Clients achieve 
lifetime financial security and live healthier lives. Sun Life Malaysia distributes its products through a 
range of channels, including bancassurance and bancatakaful, agency force, direct marketing and 
telemarketing, corporate and government business and e-distribution.
 
Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is a principal operating life insurance subsidiary of Sun Life 
Financial Inc., a leading international financial services organisation providing insurance, wealth and 
asset management solutions to individual and corporate Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number 
of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, 
the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda.  
As of December 31, 2025, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1.60 trillion. For more 
information, please visit www.sunlife.com.
 
Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock 
exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

For more information, please visit www.sunlifemalaysia.com.