Playing It Forward
Sports galvanise people and communities. They bring people from varied backgrounds together. Sports also help promote healthy lifestyles and mental wellbeing. OCBC Cycle and OCBC Aquatics are platforms to engage the communities beyond the financial world.
OCBC Cycle
Singapore
OCBC Cycle Singapore, a flagship sporting event, returned in full scale with more than 7,300 participants. The last time it was held physically in this scale was in 2019, before the outbreak of Covid.
Participants rode on closed roads against the backdrop of Singapore’s iconic cityscape, over 40 km (The Sportive Ride) and 20 km (The Straits Times Ride).
Cycling enthusiasts competed on stationary bikes in the Indoor Ride by Shimano. Many others completed the event’s longest-ever ride distance in the new 500km Virtual Ride. The OCBC Cycle Speedway Championships saw a total of 21 teams competing in either the Club or Corporate Championships.
The “Teach-a-Child-to-Cycle”, the event’s corporate social responsibility programme, organised cycling lessons by professional trainers from the Singapore Cycling Federation and OCBC volunteers for children from less advantaged families under the care of Care Corner Singapore and SportCares. Sports retailer, Decathlon, sponsored the bicycles and cycling gear for these children.
Kuala Lumpur
2023 marked the return of the city’s only large-scale cycling event – OCBC Cycle Kuala Lumpur. After a three-year absence due to pandemic measures, the event’s return allowed about 2,500 cyclists to ride on closed roads in the city.
The event took place along an uninterrupted stretch of closed roads against the city skyline with the Petronas Twin Towers in the background, with participants soaking up the beauty of Kuala Lumpur on either the 21 km or 42 km routes.
Macau
The 2023 OCBC Macau Charity Family Cycle Parade was held as part of the 2023 Macau Road Cycling League. For the third consecutive year, all registration fees for the event were donated to the Caritas Macau, a charity organisation that offers assistance to underprivileged families.
The introduction of a new cosplay element to the event added a fun twist to the race. Participants showed up in colourful costumes and eye-catching accessories , bringing vibrancy and liveliness to the atmosphere.
Hong Kong
At Hong Kong’s Singapore Festival 2023, we kickstarted our OCBC Cycle event with a Virtual Bike Challenge which saw participants face off in pairs on a virtual cycling platform.
Each cyclist rides to clock the maximum distance they can manage within a minute on the stationary bikes.
Participants included young beneficiaries from six non-governmental organisations, foundations and schools. Five young beneficiaries with special needs from Cherish House, a Family Service Centre, explored the fun of cycling in the safe environment.
OCBC Aquatics
For the second year running, we partnered Singapore Aquatics to organise OCBC Aquatics for our employees, their families, and 50 beneficiaries from Care Corner Singapore, Ministry of Social and Family Development, and MINDS.
In addition to basic swimming lessons, the event featured niche water activities, such as diving, flippa ball and artistic swimming. The participants benefited from the expertise and guidance of Team Singapore athletes, experienced facilitators from Singapore Aquatics and OCBC volunteers.
