Team China & Australian Boomers Set to Play Each Other for the First Time in Singapore
Two of the World's Top 10 Basketball Teams Will Feature at the Singapore Indoor Stadium as Part of a New Series

26 May 2011, Singapore – Singapore will play host to two of the world’s top 10 basketball countries, China and Australia, at the inaugural Youyi Games, a brand new premium international basketball event that will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 26 June 2011.

The “Youyi Games” or friendly games will be first played in Perth on 24 June and then Singapore on 26 June, with the main aim of encouraging cultural exchange and collaboration through the sport of basketball. This new initiative will set up a premium basketball event each year that fans can look forward to in the region.

Basketball is the number two sport in Singapore and the nation’s close association with the prestigious National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia made Singapore an ideal and neutral venue for the series. Singapore will also have another close connection to the game, as one of the referees in both the Perth and Singapore game for the series will be a Singaporean.

This year, the event also presents a timely tune-up for Team China’s preparations for the upcoming Asian Championships held in China later this year. Australia, the top team in Oceania will present a strong challenge for Team China, who is looking to add a record 15th Championship to their name.

Team China and the Australian Boomers are expected to field powerful line ups with global stars such as Liu Wei, Wang Zhi Zhi and Sun Wei in the Chinese line-up while the Australian line up will comprise players playing overseas and in the Australian NBL. Spectators will also be treated to some top amateur action with the Australian International School playing against renowned Anglican High School for the curtain raiser.

Singaporean basketball fans will also receive a rare treat as NBA and Australian basketball legend, Lucien “Luc” Longley will be traveling with the Australian Boomers to Singapore. Longley is most famous for winning three NBA championships with the legendary Chicago Bulls team, alongside Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.

Founder of RV Sport, Andrew Vlahov, who is also an Australian basketball great and four-time Olympian, said, “Singapore was the first city that came to mind when we were scouting for a Southeast Asian city for the series. Geographically, Singapore represented a perfect pit stop for both teams and with basketball being enjoyed widely by the local community, it made logical sense for us to bring this new and exciting series to Singapore. We will give other cities the opportunity to host in future years.”

Brett Brown, the coach of the Australian Boomers said, “Our players play in countries all over the world, so the opportunity to bring them together to play on a regular basis is good for Australian basketball. Team China has many quality players in their team and will provide us a good chance to test our skills out on court.”

Zhang Xiong, chief official for the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) said, “The Asian men's basketball championship is coming soon and China can only claim a berth at the 2012 London Olympic Games by winning the title. I believe that the Youyi Games will be good for the China men's basketball team in its preparations for the event.”

“Singaporeans will get the chance to see two of the world’s top 10 national basketball teams play each other and it is a rare opportunity for spectators to witness world-class basketball action in a tournament that is not part of an international multi-sports event. The Youyi Games sets the stage for Olympic-level basketball action,” added Vlahov.

Tickets for the Youyi Games start from $14 ($12 with concession and $14 for adults) and will go on sale 28 May 2011. Tickets are available at all Sistic outlets or online at www.sistic.com.

As the Official Broadcaster of this inaugural Games, StarHub will be airing the local match live on SuperSports (Channel 202) and E City (Channel 825) with English and Mandarin commentary provided on the respective channels. E City is a complimentary Chinese language channel to all StarHub TV customers, and viewers can catch the game live on these two channels from 6pm onwards.

For more information on the Youyi Games, please visit www.youyigames.com and the official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/youyigames

Media Contacts
Shu Fen HO
Tel: 6324 5289
Mobile: 9793 8443
Email: sfho@fulfordpr.com

Badrul
Tel: 6324 5300
Mobile: 9092 7046
Email: mbadrulhisham@fulfordpr.com

Background Information:
About RV Sport
RV Sport first conceptualised the Youyi Games and is a dynamic sporting event specialist, with a strong focus on creating unique basketball events in Australia and Asia.

RV Sport is led by four-time Olympian Andrew Vlahov, who brings with him considerable expertise, global connections and a powerful ‘can do’ work ethic to its events and sports marketing venture. Vlahov was responsible for bringing the first Australian NBL games to Singapore in 2004 and 2005 as well as the inaugural Singapore Cup.

RV Sport creates and manages iconic basketball events in Australia, China and Singapore and also manages the tours for the Australian men’s basketball team ‘The Boomers’. Through its events, RV Sport creates new channels of communication between citizens, the business community and governments in the Asia Pacific region.


About MP & Silva
MP & Silva is a leading international sports media company that owns, manages and distributes television and media rights for some of the most prestigious sporting federations and entities, including Italy’s top football league Serie A, FIA GT1 World Championship, Major League Soccer, ACB Liga (Spanish basketball league), Milan Channel, Arsenal Media and several ATP 250 tennis tournaments. The company will work with RV Sport’s Andrew Vlahov to manage the distribution of the Youyi Perth and Singapore games, on top of broadcast production and marketing of the Singapore event.

The company operates worldwide through 13 offices located in Singapore, London, Milan, Beijing, Hanoi, Budapest, Munich, Dubai, Dublin, Miami, Tokyo, New York, and Monaco.


About Australian Boomers
The Boomers are Australia’s senior men’s national basketball team. As number nine on the FIBA national team rankings, the Boomers are the top team in Oceania and a strong contender in the upcoming FIBA Asian Championships. Captained by Matt Nielsen, the Boomers’ 2008 Olympic line-up included NBA players Andrew Bogut and Patrick Mills. Outside of the national team, many of the Boomers, such as Joe Ingles, Aleks Marić, and Brad Newley, also play for top club teams all over Europe, like FC Barcelona Bàsquet, CAI Zaragoza and 2011 Euroleague winner Panathinaikos BC.


About Team China
The Chinese national basketball team is recognised as the strongest team in Asia, and has won more FIBA Asian Championships than any other Asian nation, claiming 15 titles since 1975.

In recent years, Team China has proven their abilities on the international stage. In the Athens 2004 Olympics, coached by Del Harris, Team China advanced to the final eight after a 67-66 win over defending world champion Serbia and Montenegro. Achieving the same feat in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China finished their Olympic campaign equaling their eighth position from 2004. Team China’s talent depth and success in Asia is attributed to its strong domestic support for the sport, producing top-notch atheletes such as Yao Ming (Houston Rockets), Yi Jianlian (Washington Wizards), Wang Zhi Zhi and Sun Wei.