2006 News Releases

Kuala Lumpur – Manulife Insurance (Malaysia) Berhad has once again stepped forward to inspire Malaysian athletes to produce world-class performances at the upcoming Asian Games in Doha with RM30,000 in cash incentives.

“Manulife will present the Manulife/Olympic Council of Malaysia Athlete of the Games Award to Asian Games athletes in individual or team events whose performance surpass expectations. Top-performing athletes will receive cash awards and specially designed medals,” announced Peter Robertson, President and CEO of Manulife Malaysia.

“This edition of the Manulife/Olympic Council of Malaysia Athlete of the Games Award will see the highest allocation that has been set aside for an Asian Games competition.”

“With Malaysia actively promoting excellence in sports, the increased incentive is aimed to encourage Malaysian athletes to raise their standard of performance to achieve success and recognition at the Doha Asian Games,” said Mr. Robertson.

Manulife Malaysia will be working with the Olympic Council of Malaysia to structure a reward programme for this edition of the Athlete of the Games Award.

“Amongst the criteria that we will look at will be potential gold medals, number of medals, as well as breaking of national or regional records,” said Yang Berbahagia Dato Sieh Kok Chi, Honorary Secretary of the OCM.

“After the Asian Games, a selection committee comprising OCM officials will shortlist the Manulife/Olympic Council of Malaysia Athlete of the Games Award recipients and the final list will then be agreed upon with Manulife,” added Dato’ Sieh.

“Manulife is a world-class company and we are very happy to work closely with them for the betterment of sports in this country,” concluded Dato’.

Since 1995, Manulife Malaysia, one of the official sponsors of the Olympic Council Of Malaysia, has contributed more than RM200,000 to the development of sports in this country through the Manulife/Olympic Council of Malaysia Athlete of the Games programme. The programme has rewarded over 200 athletes for their performances at the SEA Games, Olympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

Manulife Insurance (Malaysia) Berhad was formerly known as John Hancock Life Insurance (Malaysia) Berhad. John Hancock has been a Worldwide Olympic Sponsor since 1993 and the sponsorship is extended through the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Upon the global merger between Manulife Financial Corporation of Canada and John Hancock Financial Services, Inc., of the United States in April 2004, the classification of TOP Olympic Games sponsor has been expanded to include Manulife.

About Manulife Malaysia
Manulife Insurance (Malaysia) Berhad, established in 1963, is a member of Canada-based Manulife Financial Corporation. Manulife Malaysia offers an innovative range of financial protection and wealth management products and services to meet different customer needs. The company currently serves the needs of more than 270,000 policyholders and is one of the most financially sound life insurance companies in the country. Manulife Malaysia has been listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia since 1984. As at June 30, 2006, Manulife Malaysia’s assets under management were in excess of RM2.4 billion.

About Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 19 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily through John Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$381 billion (US$341 billion) as at September 30, 2006.

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as ‘MFC’ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under ‘0945’ on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com.

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