JR. NBA AND ALASKA MILK BRINGS 2016 PHILIPPINE ALL-STARS TO A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME NBA EXPERIENCE

Press Release

- 90 Boys and Girls from Jr. NBA Programs in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam to Attend NBA Global Games China 2016 in Shanghai –

- Program Aims to Promote Healthy Lifestyles and Diet Among Southeast Asian Children -

MANILA, PHILIPPINES, Sept. 26, 2016 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Alaska Milk Corporation announced today that for the third consecutive year, Jr. NBA All-Stars from Southeast Asia will travel to China to watch a live NBA game as part of the initiatives in promoting healthy lifestyle and diet among children.

Jr. NBA All-Stars from Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam

Ninety Jr. NBA All-Stars from Southeast Asia – boys and girls ages 10-14 – will attend NBA Global Games China 2016 presented by Master Kong in Shanghai on Oct. 9, featuring the Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Pelicans playing a preseason game at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.  The participants from the Philippines will be joined by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam and for the first time by Jr. NBA Singapore standouts following the program’s introduction to Singapore earlier this year.  As part of their visit to Shanghai, the boys and girls will also meet with NBA players and legends, receive additional basketball training and tour the city.

“Our Jr. NBA All-Stars will once again embark on an unforgettable journey where they will get to experience a foreign country, take part in advanced basketball training and watch a live NBA game, all while engaging with their counterparts from Southeast Asia,” said NBA Asia Vice President, Global Partnerships & Events Francesco Suarez.  “This gathering creates lifelong memories and friendships for our participants, and we will continue providing even more youth with opportunities like this in the years to come.”

Jr. NBA Philippines enjoying themselves at the NBA Global Games

“I’d like to congratulate our Jr. NBA Philippine All-Stars on their success.  Through Alaska Milk’s Nutrition.Action.Champion. Program and our partnership with the NBA, we have been able to help fuel the basketball dreams and life aspirations of thousands of children across the country,” said Alaska Milk Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Wilfred Steven Uytengsu.  “This collaboration is an important element of our long-standing Nutrition.Action.Champion. campaign.  By leveraging on this initiative, Alaska Milk was able to proactively educate families and children on the important role of drinking milk and getting into sports to achieve a healthy and active lifestyle.”

The Jr. NBA is presented by Royal FrieslandCampina in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam through its Frisian Flag, Dutch Lady, Alaska Milk, and Foremost brands and is conducted in partnership with Sport Singapore in Singapore.  Promoting the importance of regular physical activity, participants are trained in the fundamentals of basketball and learn the importance of the Jr. NBA’s core values, including sportsmanship, teamwork, a positive attitude, and respect.  To date, the program has reached more than 1.5 million children, parents and coaches across Southeast Asia through camps, clinics, and NBA Cares community outreach activities, and aims to reach five million children by 2020. 

Fans can visit the official website at www.jrnba.asia for more information on the Jr. NBA programs. “Friend” the NBA’s official account on LINE by adding @nba_global.  Follow the NBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nba and Twitter at @NBA for all the latest news and updates.  For all things NBA, visit www.nba.com.

Check out Alaska Milk’s sports channel www.playph.com and like @PlayPH in Facebook and Instagram for inspiring stories on Filipino sports fans of all ages and skill levels.

About the NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League.  The league has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 49 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2015-16 season featured 100 international players from 37 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com and the NBA App, which achieved record viewership and traffic during the 2015-16 season.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than one billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.

About Alaska Milk

Alaska Milk recognizes the need of Filipino children for proper nutrition.  According to the 2011 National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), it was revealed that 3 out of 10 children aged 5-10 years were underweight while 8 out of 100 children of the same age were overweight, making malnutrition and obesity two of the most pressing nutritional problems in the Philippines today.  Alaska Milk is committed to help provide proper nutrition through its leading brands, Alaska Powdered Milk Drink and Alaska Chocolate Powdered Milk Drink.  It contains 20+ essential nutrients that help children reach their full growth potential.  Aside from proper nutrition, an active lifestyle is needed in order to shape and nurture healthier children.  Because of this, Alaska Milk encourages children to “go out and play” through its NUTRITION. ACTION. CHAMPION. programs: Alaska Basketball and Football Power Camps and Cups, Alaska IronKids Triathlon, Alaska Family Run and Alaska Cycle Philippines.  At the same time, Alaska Milk has a professional basketball team, the 14-time PBA champion, Alaska Aces, which continues to inspire the youth to become future champions who are guided by positive values.  Finally, Alaska Milk partners with excellent local and international organizations  who share the same objectives, vision, and values namely the Philippine Basketball Association, National Basketball Association, World Triathlon Corporation, Cycle Asia, Makati and Alabang Football Schools and Sunrise Events, Incorporated.

ActiveHealth: Online Portal for the Swim, Bike and/or Run Communities is Launched

ActiveHealth Community (AHC) portal encourages athletes to use the digital platform to aid training and exceed performance targets.

ActiveHealth brings the budding community of running and multisports athlete to an amazing digital platform of online race prep and coaching, historical race results tracker, sports nutrition and sleep advice. ActiveHealth Community (AHC) portal, the online platform gives another magnitude to its engagement with its active race participants.

"The idea behind AHC is to strengthen the ties that bind the community, which is pursuing an active lifestyle and excellence by encouraging them to strive in reaching their potential. AHC is yet another medium to deliver the mission of ActiveHealth to empower the progressive athletes," said Alex Panlilio,  Unilab Consumer Health Operating Vice President.

Customized training plan access for all AHC members:

• ActiveHealth race that they are joining 
• expert advise/support from AHC Coaches and mentors through classes
• training camps
• articles and online coaching analysis
• updates on all events
• special offers of ActiveHealth 
• rewards for being an active member of the community

Roster of best coaches and sports specialists in their fields that can be accessed by AHC members:

• Veteran coaches and marathoners Titus Salazar and Ben Alacar
• Former triathlon team coach Dan Brown
• First certified female multisport coach in the Philippines Ani De Leon-Brown
• Multi-awarded triathlete Coach Andy Leuterio
• Other seasoned triathlon coaches such as Ian Alacar, Kaye Lopez, and Nonoy Basa 

AHC also have sports science experts Riel Espino, Saul Sibayan, Kris Agarao, sleep and recovery expert Francis Diano and sports and nutrition experts Harvie De Baron among many others who are in the process of finalizing contracts with ActiveHealth.

Ani De Leon-Brown, AHC Senior Coach  Consultant shares, "What sets AHC apart from other training programs or clubs is that we know our community of runners, cyclists, and triathletes very well so we can provide them what they require as progressive athletes in order for them to exceed themselves. And that is a holistic, system-based approach covering all areas of training and race preparation -- sleep, recovery, nutrition and gear. The mentors will be the on-ground teachers who will assist the members with their form and technique. There will be regular mentor sessions across different training areas in Metro Manila so we can provide assistance  to more athletes."

ActiveHealth Community can be accessed through their website, www.activehealth.ph or the app that can be downloaded in Play Store. The App will also be available soon in Apple Store. It was opened in 2010 up to present to all participants of ActiveHealth races (Run United, Tri United, etc.). The athlete will automatically get a link to the AHC portal once registered to an event. Membership is free with no expiration date. Another AHC portal advantage is its link to the online registration of ActiveHealth races.

If AHC members avail of the Premium Subscription, they get additional benefits such as:

• Priority registration to all events (i.e registration will be open to premium subscribers two weeks before it is open to the public)
• Access to coach classes
• Request online coach analysis (extra fees apply)
• Other features such as sleep timer on the mobile app, once it becomes available

* Introductory subscription price: P365.00/year

AHC members get more exclusive rewards and offers. They just need to complete tasks and activities within the community such as:

• signing up and completing races
• attending classes
• achieving targets

The mechanics for the rewards of the athletes will be available on the AHC portal. Athletes who are interested to join ActiveHealth Community can do so when they register and participate in the upcoming Tri United on November 27 in Clark, Pampanga.