Youth training camp launched

BEIJING - The 2011 Li-Ning basketball youth training camp was jointly launched by the domestic sportswear giant and the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) in Beijing on Thursday. More than 50 young guns from across the country and several top Spanish youngsters showed off their skills under the guidance of an experienced coaching team.

In its sixth edition, the annual clinic is featuring a special training session this year to assist teenage guards in a bid to discover more backcourt talent and emulate hoop icons Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian's performances in the paint.

"The lack of first-class guards has obviously hampered our national team's performance on the world stage in recent years. It's time for us to focus on the development of young backcourt talent. The camp provides us with a special platform to do this," said Li Jinsheng, vice-president of the CBA.