Rural amateur basketball tournament begins

The first provincial-level Cun BA — Village Basketball Association — rural amateur basketball competition in Hebei province got underway on Saturday in Xiong'an New Area. It's a new addition to the province's rural vitalization.

The VBA tournament will be held across the province from June to August. Sixteen teams will earn the right to participate in the provincial finals at the end of August.

The final winner and runner-up team will represent Hebei in the national finals, according to a report by local news portal iHebei, one of the competition's co-hosts.

A total of eight teams will play in the national finals in October, which will be held in Taijiang county, Guizhou province, according to a statement released earlier this month by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the General Administration of Sport.

On the first day in competition in Huangwan village of Xiongzhou town, Xiongxian county, Xiong'an New Area, Qijianfang town's team defeated Huangwan village's team 54- 50.

At the opening ceremony held in Huangwan village, activities for promoting local special agricultural products were held. The events also introduced the village's sports development and rural tourism via online livestreaming.

"The integrated development of industries in agriculture, culture, tourism and sports in rural areas will help promote rural vitalization as industrial revitalization is the basis and key to rural vitalization," said Wang Yuexiang, an official with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hebei Province.