Bangkok--23 Sep--Siam PR Consultant
- Standard Chartered Bank (Thai) cordially invites Thai people to take part in the 26th Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon, the major health promotion event with the concept of “Run for a reason”, to be held in collaboration with UNAIDS campaign on “Get to Zero HIV”.
- Both Thai and international marathoners are welcome to the biggest marathon event in Thailand, estimated participants of over 50,000, to be held on November 17, 2013, at Sanamchai Road, opposite the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, starting from 2 a.m.
Standard Chartered Bank (Thai) continues its strong support as major sponsor of the 26th Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon, jointly organized by the National Jogging Association of Thailand, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and government and r private sectors. Under the theme “Run for a reason”, the marathon aims to encourage and inspire Thai people to set one explicit goal and make a difference through this race. This year the bank teams up with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to contribute to the efforts in Get to Zero HIV campaign.
Ms. Lyn Kok, President and Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank (Thai) Public Company Limited said that this is another important year for Standard Chartered Bank to once again be the major sponsor of the 26th Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon with the National Jogging Association of Thailand. The bank will continue the success of its previous year’s concept “Run for a reason”, reinforcing the can-do attitude in creating a positive force in the community and leading by example in contributing to a good cause through the race. Winners of the race in various categories will receive the King’s Cup trophies.
“We expect a strong turn out of over 50,000 local and international participants as in past years and maintain our leading position as Thailand’s biggest international standard marathon race. Furthermore, we aim to use this event to encourage and promote more attention on self-health care. This year, we join forces with UNAIDS to advocate its “Get to Zero HIV” campaign since it is aligned with our own initiative on “Living with HIV” which has been running strongly for 10 years now. We are committed to providing a sustainable solution to the AIDS pandemic. Our HIV champions and staff volunteers have been earnestly providing education, especially to the most vulnerable groups such as rural folks and youngsters. Up till today, our staff and volunteers have already provided face-to-face training for 177,514 people,” said Lyn Kok.
Mr. Steven J. Kraus, Director of UNAIDS Asia and the Pacific Regional Office said that the ‘Get to Zero HIV’ campaign represents the global vision and goal of ending AIDS — a reality if we can achieve three Zeros: Zero new HIV infections; Zero discrimination and Zero AIDS deaths. This vision was first launched by UNAIDS in 2011 and has since captured the imagination of people around the world.
“With ‘Get to Zero HIV’ as a sub-theme of theme, the Standard Chartered marathon provides an exceptional opportunity for people to come together behind the moment to decrease HIV towards the eventual elimination of HIV—Zero HIV. This is the perfect time for this collaboration - the marathon takes place on the eve of the 11th International AIDS Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific which takes place in Bangkok from 18-22 November under the same ‘Get to Zero’ theme: Asia/Pacific Reaching Triple Zero: Investing in Innovation. All eyes will be on Bangkok. Focusing on the ‘Get to Zero HIV’ theme makes the marathon an exceptional platform to kick off the HIV-related activities, leading into the Congress,” he said.
The 26th Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon is set on November 17, 2013 on Sanamchai Road, opposite the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, starting from 2 a.m. with many interesting activities lining up. Strong support into making the Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon another year of success also comes from numerous government and private sectors such as Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, McThai Company Limited, Sermsuk Public Company Limited and many others. Interested persons can contact all branches of Standard Chartered Bank and McDonald’s to application forms. For more details, please contact National Jogging Association of Thailand, or visit the official website at www.bkkmarathon.com. Registration closes on September 30, 2013.