Media Release | 25 Apr 2006

Great Eastern Women 10K:
Singapore's Elite Sports Event for Women

SINGAPORE, 25 April 2006: An elite sporting event exclusively for women will hit the streets on 29 October 2006.

The event organiser, Enterprise Sports Group Pte Ltd (ESG), and title sponsor, Great Eastern Life Assurance Co. Ltd. (Great Eastern), want to make a mark: for the Great Eastern Women 10K to be an elite running event for women.

They definitely made a mark in the business district today at the official launch of the Great Eastern Women 10K.

Not a sight you see everyday, a large group of women, including prominent community and business leaders, was seen running around the South Bridge Road and Cross Street area, all in celebration of the launch of the Great Eastern Women 10K.

"Well, it's about time," says Mr Terence Khoo, Founder and Managing Director of leading sports marketing agency, ESG, when asked why he is spearheading this event for women.

"Sports and athleticism have always been associated with masculinity, and women are often relegated to supporting roles in these arenas. As an elite run exclusively for women, the Great Eastern Women 10K gives women the space to challenge their personal limits," says the ex-Singapore National Rugby Team Captain.

Centre Director of the Association Women for Action & Research (AWARE) Selina Gan is encouraged by the event, "It is very heartening to see an event dedicated to women's athleticism. The Great Eastern Women 10k embodies what women can achieve on two levels - firstly, it celebrates individual challenge and personal achievement; and secondly, it pays tribute to what we can achieve as a community, be it as sportswomen, executives, or mothers."

Seeking to attract both local and regional runners, the 10-kilometre route is perfect for women who want to continue running competitively and for women who want to take up the sport.

"Jogging is ranked as the most popular sport for women in the recent 2005 National Sports Participation Survey, we are glad that women can now clearly call this running event truly their own in the Great Eastern Women 10K," says Michael Chan, Director (High Participation) of the Singapore Sports Council.

Though running is the focus, the Great Eastern Women 10K is not just about that. Women find the discovery and building of a community that they can relate and belong to as empowering. Ultimately, by creating such an event as the Great Eastern Women 10K, Enterprise Sports Group Pte. Ltd. aims to celebrate and affirm female athleticism.

"We are confident that it will encourage women to come forward to participate and have a fun time being a part of this event. The SSC is looking forward to more of such women-only sporting activities introduced into the sporting calendar to encourage more women to take part in sports," says Chan.

Mr Tan Beng Lee, Director and Group CEO of Great Eastern, adds, "The Great Eastern Women 10K is specially tailored for women to come together and have fun."

Committed to making life great by providing financial security, and promoting good health and meaningful relationships, it's not surprising for the largest insurance group in Singapore and Malaysia to back such an event.

"The Great Eastern Women 10K will be a great platform for us to promote the importance of the other two pillars of our 'Life is great!' concept: good health and meaningful relationships," says Mr Tan, "And though the event is for women runners, the Great Eastern Women 10K will be a great experience for their families as well."

The Great Eastern Women 10K starts off at Esplanade Drive and ends at St Andrew's Road. The Great Eastern Women 10K is co-sponsored by adidas, with official sponsors Tiffany & Co. and OSIM International Ltd. Any woman with a zest for life and a passion for health is encouraged to take on the challenge.

About Great Eastern Holdings
Great Eastern Holdings is the largest insurance group in Singapore and Malaysia, with more than S$39 billion in assets and 2.6 million policyholders. With two successful distribution channels - the tied agency force and bancassurance - it is the leader in both Singapore and Malaysia, with a market share of 26.8% and 23.3% in the life industry respectively.

As the undisputed top insurance brand with a consistent record of a positive bottom-line, operational excellence and value creation, it received the Singapore Brand Award consecutively from 2002 to 2005. It has also been awarded the Singapore Service Class in 2004 for its customer service excellence.

Great Eastern's subsidiary, Lion Capital Management, is one of the largest asset management companies in Southeast Asia, with assets under management exceeding S$30 billion.

Great Eastern is a subsidiary of OCBC Bank, Singapore's longest established local bank, which has assets of S$131 billion and a network of 313 branches and representative offices in 15 countries and territories. In 2005, OCBC Bank was named Global Finance magazine's Best Trade Finance Bank and FinanceAsia's Best Bond House.

About Enterprise Sports Group Pte. Ltd
Enterprise Sports Group Pte. Ltd. (ESG) is a leading sports marketing agency specialising in marketing and event services. Founded in 2005, ESG is helmed by a team of people passionate about sports and the sports industry. With ample experience in sports development, the ESG team has secured multi-year deals in marketing rights and events services in Athletics, Badminton, Rugby, Triathlon and Running across China and Singapore. In addition to Great Eastern Holdings Ltd, ESG also represents a strong stable of major corporations including Aviva and OSIM.

ESG now has a team of 9 staff and has two subsidiaries: ESG Sports Management Pte. Ltd. and ESG Competition Services Pte. Ltd. ESG Sports Management focuses on sporting facilities management & development; strategic consultancy & coaching services for multi sports. ESG Competition Services provides sports competitions with essential downstream services including; sports photography, portal development, online registration and printing services.

For more information, please contact:

Boon-Gek Mudeliar
Head (Corporate Communications)
Tel:6248 2215 or
email:Boon-GekMudeliar@lifeisgreat.com.sg