China is a proud nation and is once considered as a powerhouse in sports. These past few years however, China has seen its hold as one of the world's best in sports drop significantly. None is more obvious than China's most popular sport, basketball. The entry of Yao Ming might change all of that.
Just last week, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) has appointed Yao Ming to be their next president, according to a report from the Daily Mail. Yao Ming is the first non-government official to be appointed as president of the CBA.
The appointment of Yao Ming as the new president of the Chinese Basketball Association is already expected. China's top sports official have already been endorsing Yao Ming to be the new president since last month, via a report from Global Times.
With Yao Ming being appointed as the next president of the Chinese Basketball Association, China is hoping that the NBA Hall of Famer would bring change in the Chinese basketball program that has been struggling the past several years. Yao Ming has long been vocal about bringing reform in the basketball program and his appointment as the new CBA president is the first step towards his goal.
During the press conference in Beijing announcing his appointment as the new Chinese Basketball Association president, Yao Ming said that the CBA is the most urgent matter in terms of bringing reform. The CBA was founded in 1995 and has since been considered as the pre-eminent men's basketball league in Asia.
"At the moment, the most urgent matter is the reform of the CBA, which we must set on a virtuous cycle that will increase our influence and vitality, and bring new ideas to the fore," Yao Ming told reporters.
Yao Ming has also advocated for a change in the Chinese National Basketball program. The Chinese National Basketball Team was once considered as Asia's powerhouse and has consistently been competitive in the Olympics.
During Yao Ming's career with the National Basketball Team, China won three straight FIBA Asian Championships in the early 2000s. But for the past ten years, China has won the FIBA Asian Championship only twice and has been also struggling the Olympics. China is now currently ranked 14th in the world.
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