Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) chief Yao Ming has made headlines with his election as the new president of the organization. This news has been deemed by many as one that signifies future reforms not only in the CBA but in the country's sports sector as a whole, News Ghana reported.
The Shanghai-born sports icon will now be helming a key body in the industry, which was previously basically managed by the State.
As the CBA shared the same staff with the General Administration of Sports' basketball management center, the group held fewer rights in terms of decision-making. With its separation from the center, the CBA will now be turning its attention to its business function.
In this line, 37-year-old Yao noted that "a door is open to the overall development of Chinese basketball."
Experts believe that the CBA can now adjust work mechanisms and subsequently mobilize social resources for the betterment of the organization.
As for his plans, Yao revealed that he is pursuing a "deep-rooted reform of the leagues." Using market-oriented means, the basketball star plans to establish these leagues as a public cultural product.
The newly elected CBA chief will also put his best effort to let clubs under the association get surpluses, or make ends meet at the very least. Yao considers this "as an important basis for ensuring a healthy development of CBA."
Meanwhile, Yao also shared his intent to transform the process of building a national basketball team. From the current requisition system, he will be implementing an invitational system that banks on the willingness of the athletes to join the group.
The past years have seen how the lack of comprehensive reforms in CBA has made the organization unable to play its role fully. But with CBA chief Yao's election, analysts are hopeful that the CBA could finally turn a new page and start a more fruitful chapter.
Should this leadership transition be a success, experts noted that it could be a reference for other reforms that should be carried out in various athletic groups in the country.
Yao gained worldwide fame when he became the first Chinese throughout the NBA history to have been drafted as the no. 1 pick. He was also the first Asian player to become a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
After his retirement, he re-emerged in the basketball scene as an investor of the Shanghai Sharks, one of the clubs under CBA.