China eyes Olympic glory and global sporting power status with sweeping basketball reforms

After the NBA’s blockbuster return to Macau, China is going all in - calling for foreign investment, boosting homegrown basketball talent, and setting its sights on the 2028 Olympics. BE

IJING: China has announced ambitious goals to further promote and develop basketball in the country following the NBA's recent successful return - which include prioritising talent, encouraging high‑quality foreign investment and also setting targets for its national teams to qualify for the 2028 Olympics. In a

statement released on Thursday (Dec 4), the General Administration of Sport of China (GASC) unveiled a series of guidelines and measures for provinces, municipalities and relevant associations, institutions and enterprises. Effo

rts will focus on “improving youth, grassroots, and professional basketball” while “encouraging open competition” and “promoting comprehensive development and pilot reforms”, GASC said, also calling for high-quality foreign investment and overseas leagues and training institutions to establish operations in China. It also set ambi

tious targets for Chinese national basketball teams. The men’s team s

hould ensure it qualifies for the 2028 Olympics Games and “features consistently” by 2035, GASC said.The national women’s team should reach “world-class status” and national squads should “advance to international levels”, it added. Long-term efforts will also focu

s on strengthening the youth basketball scene, the agency said. The number of Chinese youths pla

ying basketball should also be “significantly improved and increased” by 2030, GASC said, adding that Chinese basketball’s global influence should also be greatly enhanced. Despite official efforts to promote an

d nurture local football teams and talent, basketball remains immensely popular in China. The NBA is also hugely popular especia

lly among Chinese youths even despite previous political setbacks. In October, it returned to China after